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Chapter Text

Atop the palace in Alubarna, a tall, blue-haired figure appeared at the peak of the tower. At that sight, the crowd below erupted into cheers.

“It’s Vivi!”

“It’s Princess Vivi!”

“Look how she’s grown!”

An array of transponder snails carried the princess’s voice across the sands to all the distant shores of the kingdom of Alabasta.

“I’ve been on an adventure. It was a journey of hope across a sea of despair. I left Alabasta and set sail upon the vast, dark ocean.”

Vivi’s voice resounded with all the steady confidence of a born leader. The woman who could stand at the head of a nation and lead them into the future.

“I visited unbelievable places. I saw creatures I never imagined and landscapes out of a dream. At times the sound of ocean waves was soothing, gently enveloping me and easing my cares. At other times it was harsh, mocking me and playing on my fears.”

Off the coast of the east port, the princess’s voice carried across the waves to a ship awaiting its last crew mate.

“You hear that speech?” Zoro pointed out, “That’s Vivi’s voice.”

“It’s the ceremony in Alubarna,” Sanji took a puff from his cigarette, “She’s not coming.”

“Vivi’s coming!” Luffy insisted, “We’re not leaving!”

Keeping watch at the aft, Usopp called a warning. “The navy’s coming! We have to go!”

The broadcast of Vivi’s speech continued to recount her story. “But in the darkness of the storm I encountered a little ship. It gave me a push and said, don’t you see that light? That strange little ship never lost its way, even in the dark. It would dance on the giant waves. It didn’t resist the tug of the tides but sailed ahead through the roughest headwinds. And pointing forward it said look, there’s the light.”

In Alubarna, the watching crowd suddenly turned to anger as they realised the figure atop the palace wasn’t Vivi at all.

“What are you doing up there you phony? Igaram!!!”

“Where’s the real Vivi?!”

At the east port, the Straw Hat crew saw someone else appear on the cliff of overlooking the sea. A young woman with blue hair, and a large duck as tall as her. She called out with a voice that covered the whole kingdom. “You guys!”

The Going Merry turned about to head towards where she waited.

“I told you she would come!” Luffy celebrated.

With the navy on their tails, it would have to be a fast pickup. As the ship approached, Vivi completed her address to the kingdom she loved.

“I’m sorry to disappear like this again. One day I’ll come home, and we can have a real ceremony. One day I’ll be ready to be the princess you need. But there’s so much more out there to discover and to learn, and so much world left to see. I’m not ready for my adventure to be over yet. Watch the horizons for our flag. I’ll see you all again.”

She shut off the transponder snail, cutting the signal to Alubarna, and mounted up on Carue. Vivi urged her duck into a run and a leap over the edge of the cliff, soaring across the gap and onto the deck of the Going Merry. The crew crowded excitedly around her. Vivi hugged Luffy. She dodged around Sanji’s attempt to kiss her and gave him a peck to the cheek instead. Usopp patted her duck Carue on the head and Chopper struck up a conversation in animal noises. Zoro stayed to the railing but met Vivi’s eyes and gave her a serious nod, which she returned.

Vivi went and took a small bag off Karoo’s saddle. “Nami, I can’t give you the billion Berries you were promised, but I did make a stop by the royal treasury before I came.”

She deposited the bag in the navigator’s arms. Nami opened it and reached in and pulled her hand back out spilling with gold coins. With Berry signs in her eyes, the navigator picked Vivi up and squealed and spun her around.

When she was let back on her feet, Vivi ran up to the prow and pointed ahead to the horizon. “Let’s set sail!”

Chapter Text

In the far away holy kingdom of Mary Geoise, a dark figure addressed the five elders who ruled the World Nobles.

“A Nefertari pirate is unacceptable. That line is dangerous. One of that family cannot live in rebellion. She must be returned to the fold, or she must be stopped.”

“As you command, my lord,” one elder said. “She will be hunted to the ends of the world.”

***

“Strange how such a young girl can be a threat,” Admiral Aokiji noted.

“The elders are insistent,” Fleet Admiral Sengoku said, “and there may be a danger in the future. The Nefertari are a founding family, they could have become World Nobles. Vivi is King Cobra’s only heir, and her kingdom loves her. If a pirate becomes queen of Alabasta it could mean open rebellion, or worse.”

***

Down in the navy headquarters at Marineford, a new poster was drawn up and printed.

“That’s an unusually high bounty,” one captain pointed out.

“She’s one of the only high-ranking members of the former Baroque Works who remains at large, and the only one we’ve confirmed to remain active as an outlaw.” a vice admiral explained, “She has been given the former bounty of the warlord she once served.”

The poster was given to the news gulls to deliver around the world. A new, dangerous pirate haunting the Grand Line. “Desert Princess” Nefertari Vivi, 80 million Berries.

Chapter Text

Vivi checked the seas behind them and found them clear. “I don’t see any more navy ships after us. It looks like we lost them.”

“This calls for a toast!” Luffy called out and gathered everyone around, “To celebrate Vivi coming with us!”

They tapped a barrel of beer that was already ready on the deck and poured out seven mugs and filled an eight with water for Carue.

“Why was this already out?” Vivi asked.

“For when you came and joined us,” Luffy said. “To Vivi! Welcome to the crew, for real this time.”

They knocked their glasses together and drank. Zoro and Nami finished theirs in one big gulp, the others took longer but still managed to finish theirs without stopping. Vivi was half done when she gagged and had to stop. “I’m not really used to that.”

Nami elbowed her in the side, “I’ll show you the technique later. You’ll have to learn to drink to be a real pirate.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Vivi went and rummaged in Carue’s saddle bag, “I found some things that I thought would make me look the part.”

She swept on a dark blue jacket with twin coattails and gold edgings on the shoulders and the buttons, and perched a leather tricorn hat on her head.

Nami laughed, “Very traditional.”

“So stately and regal!” Sanji fawned over her, “You look like a beautiful ship’s captain.”

“Hey I’m the captain!” Luffy complained.

“I don’t want to be captain,” Vivi promised, “But I was thinking, Luffy, you never officially named a First Mate. This crew is getting bigger, soon you’ll need help organising; duty rosters, inventory, ship’s logs. I learned a lot of administration and logistics as a princess.”

“Oh yeah, good idea!” Luffy said, “Alright it’s official. Vivi is our crew’s First Mate.”

“Wow, a promotion already,” Nami teased her.

Vivi blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s a big responsibility but I’ll do my best. Speaking of which I have news. After you all left some new bounty posters were delivered to the palace. Luffy, you’re up at 100 million now, and Mr. Bushido has another 60.”

“A hundred! Yes!” Luffy danced about in celebration. Zoro was quieter, but a satisfied smirk grew on his face.

Vivi led Carue over to the door to below deck. “Come on, let’s put our things away.” But when she opened the door, Vivi saw a figure sitting in the dark. One she recognised. “You!”

She reached for her Peacock Slashers, but before Vivi could retaliate she saw an extra hand grow out of her shoulder, and she disarmed and knocked down.

The interloper responsible walked casually out onto the deck. “It’s about time. I thought you’d never leave that oversized sandbox.”

Vivi narrowed her eyes at the old enemy. “Miss All Sunday.”

Seeing her, everyone else in the crew was ready to fight, except Sanji who was lovestruck by the woman, and Luffy who just looked at her puzzled. “Oh, you’re still alive.”

All Sunday’s powers disarmed Zoro and Nami of their weapons. “How rude. Don’t point those at me.” With a calm confidence she sat down, “Monkey D. Luffy, I’ve suffered a great deal thanks to you. Now, take responsibility.”

“What do you want anyway?” the captain asked.

“I want to join your crew.”

Her real name, it turned out, was Nico Robin, and she recounted what happened between her and Luffy that none of the rest of them had seen.

Vivi suspiciously side eyed the captain, “So you saved her after defeating Crocodile, because she saved you out in the desert when you lost the first time.”

“Yeah that’s right,” he answered, “Don’t worry she’s not a bad person.”

“You were a member of Baroque Works,” Vivi questioned Robin, “Why would you help us and betray Crocodile?”

“You were one of us too, remember,” Robin pointed back, “Why would you help the Straw Hats and betray Crocodile?”

“That’s different. I had reasons.”

“Maybe I did too.”

Vivi turned away and stalked to the far side of the deck. This wasn’t what she imagined adventuring with this crew would be like. Meanwhile, Robin quickly won over the trust of the others. Only Zoro shared her suspicion. And yet, doing her best to set aside her anger, Vivi couldn’t help but be curious. Robin hadn’t been loyal to Crocodile. Could it be there was no scheme here, and she was exactly as she said? Vivi still had her doubts, but the possibility tormented her.

Luffy broke away from the others to lean on the railing beside her. “It’s up to you Vivi,” he said, “If you can’t sail with her after what she did, we can just leave her on the next island. I think she’s ok though.”

Vivi took a deep breath and made up her mind. She marched back across and leaned over Robin with as much intimidation as she could muster. Robin looked as collected as ever, and Vivi felt quite silly. Robin sitting down was still nearly as tall as Vivi stood up. But she did her best to be threatening anyway. “You can join us. But if I see so much as a hint you might betray us, I will throw you in the sea.”

“Understood, Princess,” Robin looked at her slyly, “I look forward to gaining your trust.”

Chapter Text

Over the first few days on the ship, Vivi never took her eyes off Robin. She watched for anything suspicious, and saw nothing out of place, and yet she couldn’t shake her feelings of dread. One night she ran a test. Vivi assigned Robin to the night watch for that night. Maybe if she thought nobody else was awake to stop her, Miss All Sunday might spring her trap. But Vivi lay awake all night in bed waiting and nothing happened.

Vivi was tired and at her wits end that morning, and thought she was seeing things when a dark spot appeared in the sky above her. But it proved real when the others saw it too, and the crew had to avoid a ruined galleon falling onto them from the sky. And to compound all confusion, once they escaped the debris Nami made a shocking discovery. The log pose was pointing up at the sky.

The navigator thought it must be broken, but Robin insisted otherwise. “The log pose is never wrong. This can only mean that our log has been captured by the magnetic field of a sky island.”

“A sky island?!” The others all disbelieved in unison.

“Not just the island,” Robin said, “A whole sea floating in the sky.”

Luffy was overwhelmingly excited and wanted to go there right away. Nami continued scrutinising her log pose and stayed skeptical. “That’s impossible, how can an island or an ocean float in the sky? It must be broken.”

“I don’t know how,” Robin admitted, “but if the log points up then there must be an island.”

Reluctantly, Vivi voiced an agreement, “Robin’s right. When I was young, I used to sneak out of the palace with Koza, and sometimes we would sneak to the docks and talk to the sailors. They all liked sharing stories, and the one thing they all told us is you must never mistrust the log. That needle will always point to an island.”

Nami’s skepticism turned thoughtful as she examined the log pose again, it looked like she was starting to believe. Robin gave Vivi a small nod of thanks. She broke eye contact and looked away, Vivi didn’t want Miss All Sunday’s thanks.

They fished some floating wreckage from the surface. There was a coffin with a fractured, dusty skeleton inside, which Robin dated to be at least two hundred years old. And in amongst the sinking pieces Luffy found a map of Sky Island. He was even more excited by this, and demanded to set a course there immediately, which led to an argument with Nami.

“We don’t even know how to get there!”

“You’re the navigator! Figure it out!”

Vivi got in between them before Nami could hit the captain. “Alright that’s enough. If we’re assuming that ship fell from the Sky Island.”

“We are,” Luffy insisted.

“Then the best place to find clues for going up there,” Vivi argued, “is inside the wreck.”

Nami settled into a serious expression as she realised that the princess was right. “We need to salvage it.”

It hardly seemed possible to reach a sunken ship so far down, but Usopp used some leftover barrels to make diving suits, and Luffy, Zoro and Sanji dropped into the depths. They encountered some sea monsters on the way down, but nothing those three monsters couldn’t handle.

The larger problem was on the surface, with the arrival of a salvage crew led by an odd-looking monkey man. He wasn’t the brightest, and easy to trick into thinking the Straw Hat crew was not stealing the salvage from beneath him. They needn’t have worried about the monkey anyway, on the Grand Line there’s always a bigger fish, or in this case a turtle, so huge it snapped up the entire wreck whole. Then bigger again than that, a sudden night fell, and shadowy giants appeared in the gloom. The sight scared away both the salvage team and the turtle, spitting their crew mates harmlessly back on deck, and then once again they vanished, and light returned.

Most of what the trio had brought back was junk. “None of this can tell us how to get up to the sky,” Nami complained, “Sending them down there was your idea Vivi! That was completely pointless!”

Vivi knew better than to contradict Nami in that mood. She wisely gave the navigator a wide berth, unlike Luffy who earned a bump on the head for straying too close. Vivi started picking through the junk, “There must be something.”

Sanji, as foolish as the captain, approached Nami with a colourful shell. “Nami, I found you this pretty seashell.”

“I don’t want it! Fool!”

Rebuked, he came over to the Princess, “Vivi I found you this pretty seashell.”

She took it out of hand and faked enthusiasm, “thank you Sanji,” then as soon as his back turned, she discreetly threw the shell overboard and kept searching. But as the others had said, there was nothing to find.

On the top deck, it was Robin of all people who placated the fiery navigator. “Here, I stole this off the ape’s ship,” she said, handing over an eternal pose.

“Robin, you’re my only ally here.” Suddenly calmed, Nami took the pose and examined it. “Jaya. That must be their home base.”

“That makes sense,” Vivi added, “Once a log acclimatises to Alabasta, Jaya is very common as the next destination. I suppose sometimes instead the log points somewhere… above the same part of the sea.”

They had a destination they could reach at least, but Luffy was still set upon Sky Island. The plan was to ask around on Jaya and then leave before the log reset. It seemed a stretch, and yet Vivi couldn’t help wondering herself what an island in the sky must be like.

Chapter Text

On arrival in Jaya, the first thing Luffy did was leap off the ship to explore the town, and Zoro trailed close behind him. Those two were bound to cause trouble if left to themselves, and this possibility caused enough attention and worry that nobody noticed Nico Robin quietly sneaking off the ship. That is, nobody except Vivi. She told Carue to stay with the ship and then vaulted over the aft railing, landing on the dock just behind Robin.

“And where are you going?” Vivi questioned.

“To investigate, like we planned,” Robin said nonchalantly, “You can come with me if you want to Princess. I’m also going to pick up some clothes, I can’t keep borrowing from the navigator’s wardrobe.”

“Fine,” Vivi eventually relented, “And I will come with you. You could get up to anything on your own out here.”

The place they had landed, Mock Town, was full of pirates and thugs and other dangerous characters. Robin navigated the crowds with comfortable confidence and Vivi made sure to stay close, better the devil she knew.

They made their way to a tailor in town and Vivi browsed the racks to wait while Robin made use of the changing curtain in the back. She came out with a new purple jacket and hat. “How ostentatious,” Vivi commented.

“Just fitting in with you, Princess,” Robin said.

Vivi awkwardly adjusted the tricorn on her head. “Nami laughed when saw this.”

“Not that many pirates look like the popular image, but you don’t stand out too badly,” Robin assured, “And besides you wear it well.”

“Thanks,” Vivi felt herself blushing, “Your style suits you as well, I’m sorry for… I mean…”

Robin shook her head, “No apologies necessary. I’ll just buy these and we can start our investigation in earnest.”

While Robin spoke to the shopkeeper, Vivi stepped outside. Overhead, she saw a news gull was flying by. She coaxed it to land with her and handed the bird a coin in exchange for a copy. Vivi started flipping through pages but soon found herself frozen, and Robin came out to find her staring at a page that chilled the princess’s blood. “What is it?” Robin asked.

Vivi wordlessly indicated towards and empty alleyway and the two of them got out of view from the street. Then Vivi showed Robin what had so troubled her. A newly issued poster, her own face staring out at her from the paper.

“Wanted, dead or alive; ‘Desert Princess’ Nefertari Vivi, 80 million Berries.” Robin read.

“The navy must have seen me with the crew and figured out I joined,” Vivi guessed, “But why is it so high?”

Robin folded over the poster and glanced at the article behind it. “I see. You won’t like to hear this, Princess.”

“Why not? What is it?” Vivi asked.

“The World Government is reporting that you were behind the civil war on Alabasta,” Robin said, “According to this, you were a jealous princess who coveted your father’s throne so you recruited Crocodile to stage a coup and install you as queen. They’re saying the Baroque Works was your organisation.”

“But that’s impossible! I only joined the Baroque Works to spy on you!” Vivi argued, “How could anyone believe this!?”

“The people of your country likely won’t believe it,” Robin guessed, “it just makes a convenient story for the rest of the world. But the government doesn’t give bounties for no reason, so if they’ve published this lie then they must be after something else. Something secret…”

The way Robin trailed off, Vivi could tell she was hiding something. “What kind of secret?”

Robin pondered, hesitating for a moment, before deciding to answer. “I was given a bounty this size when I was eight years old. Did your father ever tell you about the Poneglyph?”

Vivi shook her head. “No, I’ve never heard that word.”

“A stone, with writing in an ancient language lost to time, hidden on Alabasta. Your father said your family has a sacred duty to protect its secrets, including the secret that it exist at all, in defiance of the government. I’m certain he would have told you about it when you were older,” Robin explained, “That’s the real reason Crocodile wanted your kingdom. He believed the stone would lead him to a weapon. I’m the only person in the world who can read the language on that stone, and others like it hidden around the world, and the government wants those secrets buried too. I’ve been hunted since I was a child for what I might discover.”

Vivi started putting it together in her head, “So you’re saying because I have a connection to these Poneglyphs as well, I’ve been given a bounty as big as yours.”

“It seems too coincidental not to be true,” Robin said.

Vivi felt dazed, this was a lot to take in. “You said Crocodile thought the stone would lead to a weapon. Did it?” she finally asked.

Robin nodded. “It did, it revealed the location of the ancient weapon Pluton. But I lied and said it didn’t. I won’t tell you where either. My search was for the lost history, but some secrets may be best left forgotten.”

***

Across town, Vivi’s captain encountered a certain lowlife pirate. Luffy, Zoro and Nami were sat at a bar when a rough-looking man came in the door. One the patrons whispered about in hushed tones, calling him Bellamy the Hyena.

“So you’re the Straw Hat,” Bellamy strode up from the door, “Your head is worth 30 million.”

“Hm?” Luffy looked over his shoulder at the new entrant, “Nah it’s 100 million now.”

Bellamy laughed under his breath, “Lying about your bounty to sound more dangerous, nice trick, I can respect that. I’ve seen your poster, I know it’s not that high.”

“It’s not a trick,” Luffy grumbled, oblivious to the rising tension in the room and Bellamy’s crew filtered into the bar behind him.

***

The next place Robin led them was a shady looking dive.

“Places like this are always full of secrets,” Robin said, “We’d best keep a low profile when we go in. If anyone asks who we are we’ll say I’m your mother.”

Vivi side eyed her, “You’re only twelve years older than me, nobody will believe that.”

“Sister, then?”

Vivi ignored Robin’s plea for subtlety and walked straight through the swinging door and up to the bar, “A drink for myself and my aunt please.”

Robin caught up and took the seat beside Vivi, “Your aunt? How impertinent.”

The barman came back around with Vivi’s order, “Here you are ladies. It’s a good thing you came here and not the bar on the other side of town. Been hearing there’s some trouble up there.”

Robin leaned interestedly across the bar and asked with an enticing lilt to her voice, “What kind of trouble?”

Vivi recognised the tone of voice, it was the same way Miss All Sunday had spoken when Vivi and the Straw Hats first encountered her on Whiskey Peak, when she had looked down on them like nothing more than amusing playthings.

The barman knew better than to refuse her and answered, “There’s been this pirate captain in town for a while, man named Bellamy. He starts fights wherever he goes. I hear this time some kid was annoying him talking about pirate’s dreams.”

That last part alarmed Vivi. Her captain was the biggest dreamer she’d ever met. She hoped it wasn’t him caught up in this trouble. “What sort of dreams?” Vivi asked.

“Wouldn’t know,” the barman answered, “The only person with stupid dreams I know of around here is Cricket, weirdo who lives in the far coast, goes on about a lost city or something. We chased him out of town so we wouldn’t have to listen to him anymore.”

Robin asked in her same threatening manner, “Where can we find this man named Cricket?”

The barman swallowed nervously, “I’ll give you a map.”

They came back to the ship in commotion. Luffy and Zoro being bandaged up while Nami fumed. “What happened to you two?” Vivi asked.

“Eh some pirate,” Luffy dismissed, “Not very strong, would be a waste of time to fight him for real. Where have you been?”

“Just asking around,” Vivi said.

“Looking for information about Skypiea,” Robin added.

Nami’s temper snapped again. “That’s right you two are the ones who put ideas about a Sky Island in our heads! It’s your fault we got humiliated!”

As the navigator continued to rant and rave, Robin handed their map over to Luffy. “Over here marks where Jaya’s biggest weirdo lives. His name is Montblanc Cricket. He was chased out of town for talking about dreams. It seems you have something in common.”

Chapter Text

“Hmmmmm,” Luffy stared intensely at the newspaper article about Vivi, “Hmmmmm.”

Nami snatched it out of his hands, “You’re holding it upside down! Moron!” As Nami skimmed the story, her raging expression slowly softened, until she abandoned the paper and wrapped Vivi in a hug, “Oh Vivi, I’m so sorry.”

Nami explained what she’d read to the puzzled crew, how the government was blaming Vivi for Crocodile’s actions.

“Those damn jerks!” Luffy said, “We should go back there and-”

“No!” Vivi interrupted, “No if I go back to Alabasta now it would just start up a new conflict. I first set out to sea to keep my kingdom safe, and now that this has happened, they’ll be safest without me there.”

“But it’s your home!” Luffy argued.

Usopp interrupted them from his lookout on the prow. “Guys, weirdo ahead.”

Vivi joined him at the prow to look. There was a ship ahead, captained by another monkey. “Not the weirdo we’re looking for I don’t think.”

The monkey claimed this sea was his territory and tried to drive them away, and the Merry took some damage in the escape. But having passed that hurdle, they soon made it to the house of Montblanc Cricket.

The house was an odd thing. Only half a house truly, built up to the cliff edge and the abruptly cut off. It was empty when they found it. Outside on a table was a children’s book called Noland the Liar. Sanji knew the story, a supposedly true account of a man named Montblanc Noland, who had spun stories about a city of gold that sank into the sea. Vivi narrowed her eyes at that. Montblanc. That was the name of the man they were looking for.

Waiting around unsure what to do next, they suddenly heard a splash. A man had emerged from the depths and thrown Luffy in the sea. Vivi dived in the water to retrieve him while the others fought this newcomer.

By the time she pulled her captain up to the surface, it was over. The man had collapsed on his own, and Chopper rushed him inside to treat him. This was Montblanc Cricket?

When he did awake, they cleared things up. He’d only attacked because he thought the Straw Hats were after the gold he found. When they explained they were searching for Sky Island, he was eager to help. It turned out he was boss of those two monkeys from earlier which cleared up those hostilities too.

He showed them a ship’s log confirming the Sky Island was real. And he told them how to get there. By the most dangerous current on the sea. The knock up stream.

Cricket and the two monkeys set about modifying the Merry to make it sky worthy. Meanwhile the Straw Hat hurried into the woods as night came upon them. To reach where they needed to go, they needed to find a south bird. They split into groups to cover more ground. Vivi found herself with Nami, Usopp and Sanji.

“Nami! Vivi!” Sanji declared, “Whatever happens, I’ll protect you.”

Usopp wasn’t worthy of protection apparently. Not that Sanji’s protection amounted to much. When they saw a spider crawling up Nami’s back, he shrieked as loudly as she did, and they both ran to hide in the bushes.

“It’s just a spider,” Usopp dismissed.

“Just a spider?” Vivi crouched down, lowering her lamp to the ground to get a closer look, “It’s beautiful. Oh, hello little spider.”

“Vivi how are you not scared of that huge thing?” Nami shouted from her hiding place.

“Alabasta has a scorpions bigger than houses,” Vivi picked up the hand-sized tarantula, “Why would I be scared of an itsy bitsy thing like you? Look at your spindly little legs!”

“Don’t worry,” Usopp assured the two in hiding, “They won’t bite unless you scare them.”

“We’re not coming back until you get rid of it!” Nami said.

“Oh ok,” Usopp said, “I guess you don’t mind all the moths and centipedes over there then.”

Nami and Sanji shrieked again and ran back over.

The creatures in the woods only grew stranger. Giant ladybugs, and a slug the size of a cow. What fascinating creatures, Vivi thought. What terrifying creatures, she imagined her companions were thinking.

They did eventually get a south bird. Devious as it was, the bird wasn’t prepared for Robin’s powers. But once they returned, they found the Merry even more damaged and Cricket beaten senseless. His gold was stolen, and the mark of Bellamy’s crew had been left on the side of the house.

Luffy asked Robin, “If I follow the coast I’ll get back to the town, right?”

“You will,” she confirmed.

Luffy turned to start his trek, “I’ll be back by sunrise.”

“Take Carue with you,” Vivi told him, “You’ll go faster.”

She sent her captain on his way riding her duck, and in his absence Vivi took charge of repairs on the Merry.

She had the monkeys show her what had to be changed about the ship, then Vivi started barking out orders.

“Chopper, turn big and help carry those big planks!”

“On it Vivi!”

“Zoro, that trunk needs cutting down to size!”

“Eh.”

“Usopp, hammer and nails, use those planks to patch the hull!”

“Aye Aye!”

“Sanji! Put on several puts of coffee, we’re doing an all-nighter!”

“Whatever you require my Princess!”

“And Nami, take the south bird and start plotting a course! We won’t have time once we set sail!”

“Enjoying being in charge, aren’t you?” The navigator teased.

“I didn’t hear a Yes Ma’am from you Nami!”

Nami gulped and turned red, taken aback by Vivi’s authoritativeness. “Y-yes ma’am!” She stammered out.

***

Atop sacred Marijoa, the five elders met for an all-important decision.

“The warlords of the sea have been summoned, but we don’t know how many will come. They are pirates after all.”

“What a nuisance Crocodile made of himself. But we can’t ignore the one who toppled him, this Monkey D. Luffy fellow. Nor can we ignore a Nefertari following in his ranks.”

“Perhaps the two problems can be solved as one. If the Princess were in service to the World Government rather than in rebellion against it, she would no longer be a threat. With the notoriety she gained from the fabricated story, her place in their ranks would not be questioned.”

“You mean to make Nefertari a Warlord? There are a thousand ways that might backfire.”

***

The morning sun was just beginning to crest the horizon and Luffy and Carue returned, running late. He rode up with Cricket’s gold in the saddle bag and a huge beetle in his hand. “Guys look at this! It’s a Hercules beetle!”

Vivi ran out to meet him. “Oh, that is a nice beetle. Look at the shell. It’s like black marble.”

“Yeah, and it has this cool horn on the front!” Luffy enthused.

Behind them Nami loudly cleared her throat. “Vivi. Luffy. We’re in a hurry.”

“Oh, right,” Vivi got back on task, “Come look at the ship.”

While Luffy marvelled over the newly attached wings, Vivi reunited with Carue. “Any trouble on the way?”

The duck shook his head.

“Good. That pirate must have been weak huh.” She began leading Carue up the gangplank onto the Merry.

“Hey the ship is great,” Luffy thanked the monkeys for their help, “You guys can have my Hercules.”

“What? No no no,” Vivi ran back down and took the beetle from Luffy, setting it back down on the ground at the edge of the trees, “We should let it go back its home.”

“Oh yeah,” the captain agreed, “Sorry guys, we’re letting him go.”

“Guys? Hurrying?” Nami called them again.

Vivi and Luffy ran back to the ship. “To the sky?” she asked excitedly.

He clasped her hand in agreement. “To the sky!”

A few hours sailing had them positioned under the black cloud, so dark it almost turned to night. Nami confirmed they were in the right place. “The log pose is pointing straight up at the cloud!”

The wind and waves picked up, opening a whirlpool beneath them. Some of the crew began to panic, Usopp pleaded to turn back, but Luffy beamed with excitement. “This is a great adventure! If we don’t do it, we’ll regret it the rest of our lives!”

“Everyone hold on!” Vivi commanded, “Nami! Stop panicking and get ready to navigate this current!”

At the last moment they were almost interrupted, a strange crew sailing on a giant raft headed for them, but before the newcomers could interfere the sea erupted beneath them and Merry was flung up into the air.

Chapter Text

Vivi’s whole world became cold ocean spray and rushing wind. Blackness enveloped the ship. Surrounded by the cloud layer, she couldn’t breathe. Her lungs panged in her chest. Up ahead she saw a pinpoint of light which the Merry rushed towards. One way or another, they were making their way up to heaven.

They burst through and Vivi gasped for air. Everything around them now was white. She ran up to the railing to get a better look and laughed with joyous excitement. How incredible! How impossible! They were sailing on the clouds!

“The log pose is still pointing up,” Nami realised. There must have been another level even higher up.

But this white sea was as dangerous as the blue sea below. The monster trio dispatched the sea monster that came after them as easily as always. The giant octopus burst like a giant balloon. But those three ended the fight out of breath, more winded than they normally should be from such a brief encounter. With the air so thin this high it up, it was a difficult adjustment even for them.

Too tired to keep up the fight when another attacker came. A masked man on flying boots that knocked the three of them down before anyone could react. Vivi readied her peacock slicers and prepared for the worst, but the worst was averted by the arrival of an old knight on a flying bird.

The knight was impressed by the daring it took to ride the Knock Up Stream, and offered them a whistle to call on him for help if they needed it. That could be a help up here, but it didn’t answer their questions in the here and now. How to get even higher up?

Robin took notice of a waterfall of clouds in the distance and so they sailed towards it. At the bottom of the waterfall was a gilded archway with “Heaven’s Gate” written above it. Beneath the gate was a shrivelled old woman. “Are you tourists? Are you here to make war?” the crone asked, “It doesn’t really matter. If you want to go up to the upper stratum, you’ll have to pay the entrance fee. That’s the law.”

They were low on money as it was, let alone the local currency.

“What if we don’t have any money?” Nami asked.

“You may pass,” the crone replied, “that choice is entirely your own. I am neither gatekeeper nor guardian, I’m merely asking what you wish to do.”

Vivi heard something sinister in the undertone of this woman’s voice.

Luffy barrelled on ahead. “We’re going to Sky Island! We don’t have money, but we’ll go through anyway Granny!”

“Wait, Luffy,” Vivi caught him on the arm and whispered, “I don’t think this is a good idea. I just have a bad feeling.”

“She said we can go through so let’s go already,” Luffy complained.

“But why demand a toll if we can go in without paying?” Vivi pushed, “There has to be a catch.”

Luffy insisted it would be fine, and the old crone summoned a giant lobster to transport them up the waterfall to the highest level of the clouds. Vivi wished she could share her captain’s assuredness, but she still felt her apprehension.

The transport lobster rushed them up a tunnel of clouds. Up past a sign marking their entrance: Godland Skypiea. And then out to the top of the cloud layer. Clear sky and sunlight above, and in front of them a city floated atop the clouds. The Sky Island.

They sailed closer to shore and most of the crew start enthusiastically jumping off onto the island. Vivi was about to join but heard an odd squawk and looked over to see Nami tangling with the south bird trying to peck her.

Vivi went in to help. The south bird had snagged its claws in Nami’s shirt, but with some wrangling they managed to pull it over her head and the bird flew away with it.

“We forgot to set it free,” Nami said, “Oops.”

“Are you hurt?” Vivi checked her over, “Looks like some claw scratches on your back but you’re not bleeding.”

Nami didn’t seem too concerned by the thought of being injured. She was getting her first look over the rails at the new impossible island. “When I heard the legend about the Sky Island, I couldn’t believe it. But look! It’s here! It’s real!”

When she ran up to the rail and started hoisting herself over Vivi asked, “Wait, don’t you want to get another shirt first?”

“Why Princess?” Nami looked coyly at her. “Am I distracting you?”

“Wha- No- I don’t,” Vivi stammered and Nami laughed and leapt off into the shallows.

Vivi crossed her arms. “You’re a menace Nami.”

It was just Vivi, Zoro and Robin left on the ship now.

“So this is your idea of adventure,” Robin mused.

Vivi dropped her hat and coat onto the Merry’s deck. “Places like this are why I couldn’t bear to stay home.”

She jumped over the side and joined her crew on the shore. The island was made of clouds too, just like the ocean, but these were solid clouds like standing on a huge balloon.

Up on the island, the others and met some people. A young woman carrying a tiny white fox, and an old man who rode in on a familiar vehicle. It looked like the thing they had fished out of the wreck that fell on them. These were Conis and her father Pagaya, Vivi found out when she joined the group.

Nami was intrigued by that vehicle, a waver they were told it was called. Though supposedly difficult to master, Nami’s instinct for the sea gave her a deft touch on the back of the lightweight craft. “Whooo! This is amazing!” she called out from the waves.

“It does look like fun,” Vivi sighed wistfully when Nami pulled up to the shore again.

“There’s room for one more on the back,” Nami shot a wink in Vivi’s direction, “You headed my way Princess?”

Vivi laughed and climbed on the back of the waver, wrapping her arms tight around Nami’s waist. “Let’s go.”

Sanji made a desperate plea to accompany them both, to which Nami simply said “Nope!” and gunned the throttle, rocketing both girls out over the white sea.

Vivi clung on for life as the wind and cloud spray buffeted her and the shore receded in the distance.

“We should bring one of these back with us!” Vivi shouted into Nami’s ear over the roar of rushing air.

“I wonder if it would even work on a normal ocean!” Nami shouted back, “Too bad the one we salvaged was so damaged!”

As they rode, another shoreline loomed ahead of them. Different from the island before.

“That shoreline, that’s real dirt and earth,” Vivi noticed.

“And those trees are huge,” Nami said, “What is this place?”

Out of the forest came a man, harried and out of breath with blood trickling from a cut on his forehead, fleeing from something in the trees. As he came out of the trees, he saw Nami and Vivi floating on their waver just below.

“Help me!” he begged them, “Get me out of here! Please! I’ll give you anything you want!”

Vivi wasn’t sure they could even fit a third person on this tiny craft, but before either girl could answer the man a pillar of light descended from sky and with a booming crash of thunder the man and the ground beneath him was reduced to dust.

Nami and Vivi hid themselves behind an enormous root before the hunters emerged.

“It sounded like he was talking to someone,” said one, a bald man riding a giant dog.

“He was just begging for his life,” said another, with the sinister moustache and the mount on a vicious looking bird.

“I don’t get Lord Enel sometimes,” the first said, “If he’s going to settle things himself what are we supposed to do?”

“He wanted to save time,” a third spoke up, a tall and deep voiced man with hair that stuck up form his head like spines, “More illegal trespassers have arrived. A ship with eight blue sea people on it.”

There has been eight of them on the Merry. And ‘illegal trespass?’ That was the damn entry fee. Vivi had known there would be consequences. These hunters would be after their crew now. And worse, it seemed. What had been that terrible destructive light?

Once the hunters left, Nami and Vivi emerged from hiding and rode to reach the Merry again as fast as they could.

Back at the beach, their crew were being confronted by a group of uniformed soldiers. They couldn’t hear anything being said from this far out, but it looked like things were starting to get heated between Luffy and the soldiers’ captain.

“Luffy!” Nami shouted to be heard, “Don’t argue with them!”

Usopp yelled back, “They want us to pay an 80 million Berry fine!”

“Oh thank goodness!” Nami sounded relieved, “We can make the problem go away by just paying! That’s… That’s…”

She ran the waver directly into the soldier captain and bowled him down. “…THAT’S TOO MUCH!!!”

“Nami,” Vivi chastised the navigator as they both hopped off after the crash, “so much for diplomacy.”

“That outrageous amount made me lose it!” Nami protested. She turned around and nervously put on a fake apology for the man she has knocked down. “Heh, it’s no trouble right? We’ll just leave quietly and…”

“That ship has sailed Nami,” Vivi took her by the arm and tan to get them both away from what was about to become a fight. “Luffy! Deal with these guys!”

“Right!”

The squad stood no chance against the three best on the Straw Hat crew. The danger momentarily abated, the two girls rushed up to petition their captain.

“Luffy, we need to get out of this place!” said Nami.

“Luffy, we need to help these people!” said Vivi.

“Huh?” The two of them looked at each other, surprised at the different requests.

The captain crossed his arms, “Neither of those sounds like an adventure.”

“Vivi didn’t you see the same thing I did?” Nami argued, “You want to stay and fight that?”

“What I saw was something wrong with this country,” Vivi insisted, “Hunting dissidents for sport? The deception and scapegoating of outsiders like us? The king or lord or whoever is in charge of Skypiea is presiding over a deep corruption.”

The soldier captain, the once Nami knocked down, got back up. “King? Lord? Your blasphemous statements are in defiance of God! After what you people have done here, the Kami’s vassals in Upper Yard will deal with you.”

Theocracy, Vivi filed away in her head, not monarchy.

The soldiers retreated to lick their wounds while the pirate crew argued over their course.

“Oh well, we’re used to being hunted,” Luffy shrugged, “Why’d you two come back anyway? We were going to follow you over to the place we’re never ever allowed to go and have an adv- I mean and look for you.”

“What adventure?!” Nami berated Luffy and repeatedly whacked him over the head, “Didn’t you hear what I said!? There’re scary guys on that island! If you saw that you wouldn’t want to go there! I’m never going back! We gotta get out of here!”

“You mean leave? That’s crazy!” Luffy argued, “What’s more important, you life or adventure!?”

“My life,” Nami stood protectively in front of the princess, “and keeping Vivi safe. After that, money.”

Vivi stepped out from behind Nami. “I’m not a child. We can’t just leave these people with those monsters terrorising them!”

“Sure we can, we’re pirates not heroes.” Nami declared.

“Running doesn’t sound very adventurous,” Luffy said.

“Whatever we do, we can’t stay here,” Vivi said, “Let’s get the ship ready, once we’re sailing we can decide if we’re headed back to the Blue Sea, or on to Upper Yard.”

That seemed to placate Nami and Luffy for now. Luffy took Sanji and Usopp and get provisions from the old man Pagaya’s house, while the rest of them boarded Merry.

Vivi picked her hat up from the deck and put her commander’s voice back on. “Zoro, raise the anchor. Everyone else, let’s get this ship ready to sail! We leave as soon as Luffy gets back!”

But then from underneath she heard a shudder, and the deck jolted beneath her feet, knocking Vivi and the others to the deck. When she got back up she saw the ship was moving, and running to the rail she realised they had been picked up another giant lobster, even bigger than the last, carrying them away towards Upper Yard.

This was the so-called Heaven’s Punishment. The hunt was on.

Chapter Text

Climbing onto the boat they were provided and departing Angel Island to search for their taken crew mates in Upper Yard, Usopp couldn’t help but look back at the shore. At the frightened people giving nervous looks at the three outsiders. At the pit in the ground that opened beneath where Kami’s judgement has been called down on Conis just for associating with the Straw Hats. “Vivi was right,” he realised, “these people are in trouble. And now so are we. She figured it all out so fast.”

“Our princess has an instinct for a country’s sickness. Isn’t she incredible?” Sanji gushed, “but a princess needs her prince to right what’s wrong in the world. I’m coming to rescue you from your tower Vivi!!!”

At the back, eager to reach to forbidden island, Luffy kicked the dials propelling their tiny boat. “Doesn’t this thing go any faster? We have an adventure to go- I mean, friends to help. And maybe have an adventure on the way.”

***

In the depths of Upper Yard, the Merry had been left perched atop an altar in the middle of a lake. Zoro’s attempt to swim across was interrupted by sky sharks. He beat the one accosting him and returned to the Merry, wet and grumbling. “No way I can swim across. What is this place? Where the hell are we?”

“I would say the same forbidden island that Nami and I stumbled across by accident earlier,” Vivi said, pointing out across the lake, “that shore is real ground, not island cloud like everywhere else we’ve been.”

Robin hopped down from the deck to look closer at the pedestal the Merry had been placed on. “Based on the architecture I believe this is a sacrificial altar.”

“In the middle of a lake full of sharks,” Vivi added, “Three guesses what the sacrifice method is.”

“Eaten by the sharks? Starvation while waiting on the pedestal?” Robin offered, “Oh or perhaps there’s other dangers in the jungle on the path here.”

Vivi shook her head. “Is it strange that I find it comforting to hear your obsession with the macabre?”

“YES!!! Robin is scary when she says that!” Nami shrieked at her.

Robin pulled a sly smile, “Not strange at all, Princess.”

Chopper was hiding behind the ship mast and trembling. “You think we’re going to be sacrificed Vivi?”

“No, I think Luffy, Sanji and Usopp are the sacrifices,” Vivi said, “We’re the bait.”

Zoro was still grumbling as he wrung the damp out of his clothes. “What a place that stupid lobster brought us. And with the hull damaged like this we’re not sailing anywhere.”

Vivi hopped off the deck onto the altar to see what he was talking about. The express lobster’s claw had left a deep gouge from carrying the ship. “We need to get this fixed. Chopper? Carue?”

“On it!” Chopper said, and Carue quacked a salute.

“Swimming is out but there must be a way across,” Vivi mused, “Kami’s plan involves us staying here so I say we explore. There must be something useful we can learn. I won’t be the kind of princess who waits in her tower to be rescued.”

“Agreed,” Zoro said, “I want to find this Kami myself and have a talk with him.”

From the top deck he managed to jump up and pull down a vine which they could use to swing across.

Robin spoke up, “I’ll come as well. This altar must be a thousand years old at least. Imagine what history is out there? Lost relics. Valuable artefacts.”

Nami’s eyes lit up with Berry signs after that last point. “I’ll come too!”

Zoro went first. He let out a long bellowing call of the wild as he swung across.

Nami crossed her arms. “What’s with the weird yell?”

“Don’t be so joyless Nami,” Vivi took the vine next and laughed into the rushing air as she swung to shore, “Whooooo!!!”

Robin came across with silent confidence, and Nami shrieked in terror all the way across but managed to land safe. From there they ventured into the jungle.

***

“It’s dangerous here so I’ll keep the Sky Knight’s whistle close,” Chopper said as he took it off its hook and hung the whistle around his neck.

“Quack?” Carue puzzled.

“Your ducks bill wouldn’t be able to blow it Carue so it’s better if I keep it.”

“Quack.” Carue agreed.

“Now we better get to work,” Chopper said, “The others are counting on us to keep Merry safe, and the Sky Knight will come if there’s an emergency.”

“Quack!” Carue warned and a vulturous bird swooped onto the Merry, ridden by a man with a lance.

Chopper blew the whistle.

***

Deeper in the jungle, the giant trees made it difficult to get far, and Robin was baffled to find pieces of ruin underneath the tree roots. There was no sign of Kami himself, but from a high up branch Nami saw the impossible.

They ventured further out to the shore and found half a house stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the clouds. A broken building the matched the half-house Cricket had lived in down below on Jaya. This place, Skypiea, was once down on the blue sea. Once part of Jaya. Which meant the lost city of gold, maybe it hadn’t sunk into the sea after all…

They returned to the Merry to find it more battered than before. They had the story from Chopper between sniffles and sobs. The ship was attacked by one of Kami’s vassals, he had called the Sky Knight the help but Gan Fall was beaten too, and after Carue had needed to pull Chopper, Gan Fall and the bird Pierre out of the lake before they drowned.

“Carue!” Vivi gushed to her pet, “Such a brave duck you are! You really saved these guys huh.”

“Quack!” Carue stood taller and saluted Vivi with his wing.

Chopper came over with I shed tears still in his eyes. “Was I…” he sniffled, “was I brave too Vivi?”

Vivi ruffled the fur on top of his head. “You were very brave, Tony-kun.”

Chopper did his little dance and happily squealed, “It doesn’t make me happy when you compliment me! Shut up! Stupid human! Idiot!”

Vivi took Nami and Robin with her inside. “Girls, we need to compare notes. Zoro, watch out for when the others get here.”

Between what Robin had gleaned if the history and Nami’s understanding of their maps, and Vivi there to string the disparate pieces together, the three of them figured it out.

Some time into their research, Zoro came down and checked on the girls. “The other just got here.”

From above they could hear Sanji shouting in the distance. “Heyyy! Nami! Vivi! Robin! I surpassed the Love Challenge!”

Nami heaved a sigh, “Sounds like they’re still in good spirits.”

They went up to greet him and Usopp and Luffy on deck, and fill everyone in on their discoveries.

Chapter Text

All was revealed over dinner. The lost city of gold, the one Noland the Liar said he had discovered hundreds of years ago, was here in Upper Yard. Half of Jaya Island had been blasted into the sky by the knock up stream hundreds of years ago. By combining the maps of Jaya and of Skypiea they formed a skull shape, with the city supposedly in the “right eye of the skull.”

“Our goal now is clear,” Nami concluded the presentation, her earlier fear replaced by a sparkling desire, “A vast treasure trove of gold is awaiting us here. We’re going to claim it!”

Luffy gave a puzzled look over at Vivi, “What about what you were saying about helping people here? You don’t still want to do that.”

Vivi finished a large slurp of stew and answered, “On your journey in to find us, you said you saw some more of those guerillas fighting Kami’s vassals, right?”

“Right,” Luffy answered.

“I think we’ve wandered into the heart of a war. Nami wants us to stay away from the conflict and just grab the gold, but after being here so long I suspect there’s no way the occupants of Upper Yard never found it,” Vivi explained, “When you try to steal from heaven’s vault, you need to contend with God. We’re going to have to deal with this Kami either way.”

“You’re being such a pessimist,” Nami argued, “We’ll be sneaky.”

“Kami is the source of this land’s corruption,” Vivi continued despite the interruption, “Luffy will beat him, we’ll run off with the gold, and the people left behind can live on without divine wrath above their heads. We all get what we want.”

Nami still wasn’t having it. “You want Luffy to fight God???”

“I don’t believe in gods,” Vivi said, “but if I have faith in anything, it’s our captain.”

How could she not, after everything he had done for her.

Nami sighed defeatedly. Luffy grinned and wrapped an arm around Vivi’s shoulder, “That’s the spirit Vivi! Tonight, a feast! Tomorrow, adventure!”

“We should put out any unnecessary fires,” Robin warned the group, “Otherwise we’ll let our enemies know our position.”

Luffy and Usopp sagely shook their heads in disappointment.

“That’s ridiculous. You hear that Usopp? Put out the fire, she says?”

“Give the poor girl a break Luffy. Robin’s lived her life in the dark. She wouldn’t know.”

Robin gave them both a puzzled look, “What do you mean?”

“When you go camping you have to have a campfire!” Luffy declared.

“Even if your life is about to end you have to keep your campfire going!” Usopp insisted.

Nami crossed her arms. “You guys are both idiots,” she berated them, “You know how dangerous this forest is? There’s Kami’s vassals and those guerillas and who knows what kind of giant monsters.”

Vivi heard the thunk of wood being piled up and looked over behind her, “Oh wow, that pile is taller than me.”

“Hey Luffy!” Zoro pointed at the pile of firewood he and Sanji had piled up, “How’s this for a bonfire?”

At the captain’s insistence they lit it up and broke out a bounty of food and drink. Nami kept up her fearful hesitance at first, but relented to the party atmosphere when Vivi all but dragged her up to dance.

“How are you not afraid of any of this?” the navigator asked her, “You’ve been staying so cool and I’ve been a wreck.”

Vivi shrugged, “I just can’t be scared of anything with you guys around.”

“Everyone makes me feel safer too,” Nami admitted, “But you’ve really seemed invincible recently.”

As the night wore on, Nami taught Vivi to really drink. “So you don’t embarrass yourself and only finish half next time we toast,” she said. “If you relax your throat muscles right and just knock it back, it’ll all pour down.”

Vivi eventually managed one, but still coughed when she finished. “I’m not used to the taste of that stuff yet.”

Even later, the princess got herself away from the fire and fell into sitting on a root, feeling just a little too drunk to keep dancing, and settled in next to where Nico Robin watched from the sidelines. “Still worrying about the fire?” Vivi slurred.

“I’m beginning to come around,” Robin admitted, “And it looks like you need your sleep.”

Vivi giggled to herself. “Yeah… you know you’re not so bad Miss… Fall Monday? No that’s not…” she slumped down and nestled to sleep against Robin’s shoulder, and the older woman let her rest there.

***

The next morning, the crew found that the Merry had been repaired in the night.

“I swear, I saw a ghost,” Usopp insisted, “Working on the ship with a wooden mallet.”

It sounded impossible, but someone had done the repairs somehow. Someone who knew what the Merry was supposed to look like; it had been rebuilt in the original design, not the odd flying ship the monkeys had helped turn it into. A mystery for another time, they had a plan to follow and treasure to steal.

The crew split in two teams. Luffy would lead the search team of Robin, Zoro and Chopper on the search team, to find the city itself. Vivi took the getaway team of Nami, Sanji and Usopp on the Merry to go around and meet at a rendezvous point closer to the ruins. She would also take the injured knight Gan Fall and Pierre, who were in no shape to traipse through the jungle.

“We’ll meet you on the east shore Luffy!” Vivi promised.

“Great!” Luffy said, “We’ll come back with more gold than you’ve ever seen!”

“I am a princess remember,” Vivi reminded him, “That will need to be a lot of gold.”

Luffy laughed, “You bet it will!”

Chapter Text

Sailing the milky road was slow going. Their only means of propulsion were the wind dials from the ship Luffy, Usopp and Sanji had come from Angel Island on. That was just, barely, powerful enough to push the Going Merry, but not quickly.

With nothing else to do but stare into the woods as they sailed by, the sky knight Gan Fall used the time to tell them about the history of the conflict in Skypiea. Gan Fall himself had been Kami once, before the current Kami Enel took control.

Real ground was a rare thing up in the sky, the sky people called it Varse and considered it sacred. When Upper Yard had been launched into the sky 400 years ago, the Kami of that time had claimed it, and in doing so displaced the native people, the Shandians, whose descendants were now the guerrillas going to war in the jungle. Back when he had been Kami, Gan Fall had been trying to mend the rift, to no success.

Enel was something new, arriving from a different sky island six years ago and taking the throne of Kami by force. It was now his rule of fear that crushed Shandians and Skypieans alike under his oppression.

Vivi listened intently to the history. Enel wasn’t the sole cause of all this country’s troubles, but it was clear they could never begin to heal while he was there. And with the right push, maybe a common enemy was what these people needed.

Gan Fall also told them more about dials, the strange and powerful shells that were found up here in the sky. Vivi was intrigued by the impact dial in particular. Being able to absorb the force of an opponent’s attack then release it against them would level any battlefield. And all the others; flame and wind and recording sounds and using dials to create a path of ocean cloud to sail on. If she had a stash of these back in Alabasta…

Vivi did most of her best work by thinking very hard or shouting very loud. Her words could get her a long way, but she knew from hard experience she didn’t contribute much to a straight fight. She needed the others for that. Even Nami went armed with her Clima-Tact. If Vivi could bring some of these back to the surface, maybe that would start closing that gap. That might be even more valuable than the gold.

The quiet journey was interrupted by a crack of thunder. They all whipped around to see Sanji collapse to the deck, singed and burned. A man stood over him, tall, with an elaborate shoulder piece that ringed gold drums above his head, and a further gold staff held in his hand.

“Ya ha ha ha, foolish young man,” the stranger laughed, “I didn’t come here to trouble you.”

Before Nami and Usopp could panic, Vivi held out a hand and signaled for them to hold steady and stay back. She stepped out from the other two and addressed the newcomer. “Enel, I presume.”

“Kami Enel, girl,” he said, uninterestedly, “You’d think my predecessor would have told you the proper address.”

Gan Fall simmered at the presence of the man who unseated him but stayed silent for now.

Looking down at Enel’s feet, Vivi saw that Sanji’s body had landed such that he was behind Enel. She glanced to the side and locked eyes with Usopp, and behind her back made a circling motion with her finger. He took the silent instruction; circle around, get behind and Enel and check on Sanji. Hopefully their crew mate was still alive.

Vivi’s job was to keep Enel’s attention on her so he wouldn’t notice. “If we’re standing on ceremony, I would tell you to call me ‘your highness,’ but I know you wouldn’t deign to. Men like you always cling to their titles while giving no respect to anyone else’s.”

“There are no men like me,” Enel tried to stay impassive, and Vivi could sense the taut thread of his contempt. “I am no mere man, but a God.”

“I’ve lost count of all the men like you I’ve met,” Vivi said again, focusing this frustration further upon her. Gambling he would want to argue, and not simply attack. “I’ll admit Kami is a new one, they usually call themselves things like King or Warlord, but you’re all the same. You take important names and make the people around you afraid, all to make yourselves look big because on the inside you’re tiny.”

He was no different than the likes of Wapol deep down. Even if unlike that joke of an ex-king, Enel had the power to back his threats.

Behind Enel, Usopp had made it to Sanji and was slowly pulling him away from the Kami. Enel contemptuously tilted his head. “Tiny. Like the rodent you’ve sent sneaking behind me.”

Enel casually pointed a finger behind himself, and with a flash of light and another crack of thunder, Usopp went down singed and blackened just as Sanji had.

“Usopp!” Vivi cried, as if her call could make any difference against a power like that.

An amused laugh escaped Enel’s mouth. “Ya ha ha ha ha! You should be more careful with your blasphemous talk, ‘Your Highness.’ The Kami hears all!”

He brought his deathly pointer finger around to aim it at Vivi. Left with no other option she whipped out her peacock slicer and launched the bladed chain at Enel. He didn’t even bother defending himself, just the let the chain hit him. In a split second Vivi saw an arc of blue energy zapping up the chain and into her hand, and once it reached her the entire world turned white.

***

Nami clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as she watched Vivi spasm then fall to the deck streaming a haze of smoke. Beside her, Carue tensed, and an aggressive honk built in his throat at the sight of Vivi hurt so badly. Before the duck could try to charge Enel, Nami wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back in, “No! We can’t help her by rushing in like that.”

Sanji had tried to take on the Kami directly, and that fight had been over before the rest of the ship knew Enel was there. Vivi and Usopp tried to outsmart him and that had ended the same way. All Nami could do was lie low, it seemed like he was here for the old man Gan Fall not any of them.

Enel glanced at her staying silent and out of the way. “Smart girl, keep your mouth shut and you won’t be harmed, got that?”

***

All Enel had wanted was to taunt Gan Fall it seemed. After alluding to some terrible fate for his former followers, Enel had vanished as suddenly as he had arrived. The encounter had motivated Gan Fall and mount up on his bird Pierre again and fly back into the warzone in the jungle, and Nami was left alone with her hurt crewmates.

The first thing she did was check on Vivi. After a short desperate search, she found a pulse. “Alive! She’s alive. Then that means the other two…”

She quickly confirmed that all three were badly hurt, but not dead. She hoped it wouldn’t be long before they could reunite with Chopper, and he could help them properly.

Chapter Text

Vivi awoke to a small creature licking her face. As she blinked confusion out of her eyes she saw a tiny white fox in front of her. “Suu?”

If the pet was here, then her person Conis must have been too. Vivi checked herself, either Conis or Nami must have cleaned her up and moved her below deck. Her body still tingled from the energy Enel had sent coursing through her and all her tiny hairs stood on end. Her hand which had been holding the peacock slicer was now wrapped in bandages, and the raw flesh underneath throbbed and ached. She didn’t want to know what it looked like underneath.

Vivi roused herself and went above deck. Up above there was still no sign of Conis or Nami, but it looked like Usopp and Sanji were up and about again, looking just as singed and frayed as she did. Beside them, Carue frantically squawked and flapped his wings. When he saw Vivi he quacked in excitement and relief and rushed across the deck to meet her.

Vivi caught him in her arms, holding him softly around the neck and comfortingly stroking the feathers on the top of his head. “Carue! I’m here. I’m fine.”

“Quack!” tears were welling in Carue’s eyes.

“Thank you for worrying so much about me. I promise I’m completely okay.” Vivi winced through the lie. She wasn’t close to completely ok. She had recovered a little, but she knew she was hurt badly. Maybe the worst she had ever been hurt. But her crew still needed her, so she was staying strong for them.

The next person to launch himself at her was Sanji. “Oh, my Princess! It’s so wonderful you’re alright! There’s terrible news!”

Vivi quickly sidestepped out of the way of his arms. “Terrible news? What happened? And where’s Nami?”

He pointed up at the sky and Vivi finally noticed the thing looming above. An immense ship floating in the air above the treetops.

“Usopp, binoculars,” Vivi requested, and he passed them over for her to look. Nami was up there, so was Enel. And Nami had Luffy’s straw hat on her head but there was no sign of the captain himself. What had happened while they had been knocked out?

“We need to go help,” Vivi said.

“We’ll go, you stay here where it’s safe Princess,” Sanji said, “Your prince will make everything right for you.”

“Don’t even think I’m staying behind while a crewmate is in danger,” Vivi jabbed a finger at Sanji, “We’re all going.”

Beside them both, Usopp quivered at the prospect, “You want me to go up there!?”

“We need that thing you have,” Sanji said, “The belt that shoots the rope out of it.”

“You can just borrow that,” Usopp weakly protested, “You don’t really need me do you…?”

“Usopp, we’re all going.” The authority in Vivi’s voice silenced his protests. Usopp gathered up his slingshot and projectiles while Vivi mounted Carue’s saddle.

She couldn’t entirely blame Usopp for his terror. Going up that high daunted her too, and the thought of facing Enel again even more so. But they had a crewmate depending on them.

They ventured out into the jungle until they were directly beneath the floating ship, and Usopp fired up the rope that let them begin climbing up to it. Carue couldn’t follow past this point, he couldn’t climb the rope.

“Carue, follow the ship and stay underneath,” Vivi instructed, “And keep watch, some of us may fall down faster than we climbed up. I’m counting on you.”

She could feel the worry radiating off him, but Carue gave Vivi a dutiful salute, and she began the climb.

While they slowly climbed the rope, swinging in the wind, the ship raised itself higher and higher into the air.

“Vivi! Sanji!” Usopp panicked in place, “If this goes any higher, we won’t be able to get back down!”

“Then the only way out is through,” Vivi insisted, “keep climbing.”

Sanji heaved himself up over the railing first and declared, “I don’t care if he is Kami, I won’t let him lay a finger on Nami!”

Buffeted by frigid wind, the remaining two reached the top behind him. Sanji offered a hand to help Vivi up. She gratefully accepted the help, her one unbandaged palm red and raw from gripping the rope. Usopp had to haul himself up unassisted.

“We need to split up,” Vivi said, “You two mentioned that power some of our enemies have, Mantra? Enel will already know we’re here. If we come from different directions maybe dividing his attention will keep some of us safe.”

“You say that like you expect some of us to not be safe,” Usopp said.

Sanji took Usopp by both shoulders, “Usopp, listen. If it’s for Vivi and Nami’s sake… I’m prepared to sacrifice your life.”

Vivi slapped Sanji on the wrist and separated the two, “We’re not sacrificing anyone. All of us are getting out of this… if we’re lucky.”

Usopp looked at her dubiously, “And if we’re unlucky?”

“I don’t know,” Vivi admitted, “We’ve never really been unlucky before.”

She ran ahead into the hatch that led through the decks of the flying ship, not waiting for a response. She expected the others to split off on their own paths, and she would meet them on the other side where Nami waited for their help.

Vivi didn’t rush too fast through the ship. Even with the urgency of Nami in danger, this place merited some study. The interior was an intricate mechanism of gears and pistons all built from solid gold. So the Kami had found the lost city. There was nowhere else he could’ve got this kind of quantity of gold. The fact it had all been smelted into this ship made stealing it a more difficult proposition.

But more pressingly, Vivi’s mind was on those turning gears. If she could break something, force the ship to land, that could reopen the escapes closed off by their deadly height.

As she studied, out of a side path Sanji ran out into the same corridor she was in. “Princess? What a coincidence I ran into you.”

“Sanji? I thought I said we should split up,” Vivi reminded him.

“Since we found each other by accident maybe that’s fate telling us to stay together,” he said hopefully.

Vivi shook her head to herself and pointed at the gears she was looking at. “Can you knock some of these out of alignment?”

“Oh, good idea, damage the Kami’s ship and stop him using it.” Sanji reared back a kick then hammered his boot into one of the gold gears, leaving a dent in the soft metal. The gear, bent out of shape by the hit, no longer fit with its neighbours and the whole system jammed and stopped turning.

“Thanks,” Vivi said, “Now come on, Usopp is going to need backup.”

At the front of the ship, Usopp had already arrived before them. He and Nami were preparing an escape from Enel. Nami prepped her waver to ride it over the edge, and lacking any normal means of attacking the Kami, Usopp tried to get creative.

“USOPP!!! …spell!!” he declared the new technique, “A needle gets stuck underneath your fingernail.”

From her hiding place behind the door, Vivi winced at the thought. Enel looked at Usopp largely bemused by the whole experience.

“A paper cut between your fingers,” Usopp tried again, “Five sores form on your gums!”

Enel, bored now, flew up and cracked his gold staff over Usopp’s head, and raised the weapon to do even worse as thunder crackled above.

Nami had got the waver upright and ready, “Usopp let’s go!”

Before the sniper could get any distance, Enel had pressed the butt of his staff into Usopp’s back, stopping him from crawling away. “If you want to escape, you have to get through me first.”

Vivi knew they had to intervene right away. “Get Usopp away from him, I’ll get Nami.”

Enel raised a hand to the sky and the thunder rumbled around them, “El…”

She and Sanji burst out onto the deck and ran for their targets.

Sanji got there first. His kicks would have passed straight through Enel’s body, but instead he kicked the metal staff, loosing it from pinning Usopp, and the chef grabbed the sniper and threw him over towards Nami and the waver.

Vivi got in place just in time to catch him, “Good job keeping Nami safe.”

“Thanks. What took you?” Usopp asked.

She shoved him on behind Nami. “Both of you go!”

“What about you?” Nami asked.

“Waver only fits two,” Vivi answered.

Nami looked like she wanted to argue more, but at that moment Enel’s lightning filled hand came back down, “…Thor!”

Sanji, positioned right in front of the Kami, looked over at Nami and Vivi and gave the girls a bright smile before he took Enel’s lightning blast head on.

“Someone has to stay and save the self-sacrificing fool. No time to argue, go!” Vivi reached over the handles and revved the waver for Nami, sending it toppling over the edge of the ship with Nami and Usopp aboard. Holding the handles, Vivi was yanked forward by the jetting waver but lost her grip as soon as they went over the side. While the other two plummeted down, Vivi whipped out her peacock slicer and swung it over the ship’s railing.

The chain of tiny blades wrapped around the rail and the sharp links dug into the wood. Her arm was nearly torn from its socket when the string pulled taut, and then she crashed face-first into the side of the ship, but the princess kept her grip through the wrenching pain in her arm and ringing in her skull.

Up on the ship, Sanji barely stayed on his feet, blackened and burnt by the lightning he’d taken on. He took a puff through the cigarette in his mouth, just lit by the lightning that had coursed through him. “Hey Kami, thanks for the light. Oh, and drop dead.”

The last of his strength failed him and he fall forward into the deck. Vivi held on out of sight until their earlier sabotage bore fruit, and an explosive bang resounded from under the deck and the ship shuddered to a stop and began to slowly lose altitude. Enel ran below deck to fix the problem.

Vivi had hoped to force a landing, but a few moments later an array of wind dials laid across the bottom of the ship started blowing to keep it afloat. That just left the hard way.

She got up on the deck while Enel was still down below and quickly Vivi roused up Sanji. “Can you still stand? We don’t have long to get out of here.”

“I’ll go wherever you lead me, Princess,” Sanji said as he struggled to his feet.

“Good,” Vivi let him lean on her shoulder up to the railing, “We’re going to jump.”

“Long drop,” Sanji commented, “There any more to this plan?”

“Hope we get lucky.”

She took his hand in hers, took a breath to steel her nerves, and together they both took the leap.

Air rushed by as they fell, Vivi scrunched her eyes shut against the green brown of jungle rushing to meet her from below. Then there was a flutter of yellow and Vivi and Sanji landed on something soft that squawked beneath them.

“Carue!” Vivi got herself off her poor duck who she’d just nearly crushed.

“Quack!”

“You came to catch us when we fell?”

“Quack…”

“Don’t apologise Carue,” Her legs almost gave out beneath her when she stood, jolted as they were by the hard landing, “It was a rough fall, but it would have been much worse if we hit the ground instead. I can always count on you.”

She started to strap Sanji’s prone body into Carue’s saddle.

“Wait,” the cook weakly said, “You’re hurt princess, you shouldn’t have to walk.”

“You just took a second bolt of lightning,” she scoldingly reminded him, “you’re in even worse shape than I am. Don’t you dare keep hurting yourself on my behalf.”

They heard a rev nearby and Nami caught up on the waver, with Usopp just behind. Seeing them safe, Nami jumped off the waver and ran over to pull Vivi into a hug, “You’re ok! When you stayed behind I was so worried!”

“Hey, you’ve all saved me so many times now,” Vivi said, “About time I started returning the favour.”

“You don’t owe us for any of that,” Nami insisted, “we love you.”

They both looked over at Sanji passed out on Carue’s back. “Too brave for his own good, isn’t he?” Vivi commented.

“Or too stupid,” Nami added, the patted his unconscious body on the shoulder, “Thanks for looking out for us both.”

“Where’s Chopper?” Vivi asked, “He… I mean, all of us but him most of all, needs treatment for all those injuries.”

Nami pointed out over the forest, where an immense twisting vine stood up into the sky. “The ruins of the city of gold are at the bottom of the giant vine. The rest of the crew will be around there. Enel and his followers beat all of them, we can’t win here, lets find everyone and get out. Enel told me some of his plan, there’s nowhere left that’s safe of Skypiea.”

“He beat all of them?” Vivi asked in disbelief, “Even…”

Nami nodded seriously, “Luffy was the only one who found a way to hurt him, but in the end he went down too.”

Vivi couldn’t quite believe it. The thought their captain would lose, it didn’t seem possible.

The crew made their way down to the vine base, where they found Robin had gathered up the injured with her. With Robin and the crew were a few others; the sky knight Gan Fall and his bird, one of the guerrilla warriors, and a small girl.

There was just one left missing. “Where’s Luffy?”

“Climbing this vine right now to rescue Nami,” Robin answered, glancing at Nami with the group that just arrived, “though I suppose that’s been taken care of for him now.”

They had missed each other by moments. Looking up the sky, Vivi saw Enel’s flying ship floating up near the tip of the vine. If Luffy could get all the way up, maybe he had it in him for one more round with their enemy. All there was to do now was keep faith with her captain.

Nami volunteered to take the waver up to get him. “You guys go ahead to the Merry,” she finished.

“No,” Vivi rebuked, “We’ll wait for you here.”

“But you won’t be safe here,” Nami pleaded.

“You said yourself there’s nowhere left safe on the island,” Vivi countered.

“So go to the ship and leave!”

Around them a storm of lightning began to fall across all of Upper Yard. Pillars of blue-white fire wiped away all that they touched.

“Those things could vaporise you all if you don’t get out,” Nami begged her to go, “Vivi you’ll die.”

“Then we’ll die together. I won’t run while you and Luffy stay behind,” Vivi argued. Luffy had never let her down yet. She still believed. “He might have been beaten earlier but if he’s climbing that vine then he still has some fight left in him. I’m not convinced you can make Luffy leave, so we’ll wait down here for you to come back with his decision. Either this crew goes together, or not at all.”

Nami reluctantly accepted Vivi’s resolve, “But if it looks like the island will be destroyed before we return then please get out then at least,” and with that she took the waver and began zooming up the giant vine.

Without their captain, the rest of the crew with her looked to Vivi for her leadership.

“How long do we wait before we decide they’re not coming back?” Robin asked.

Vivi looked up at the storm clouds in the sky. She took a deep breath as she watched the world end around her. “The rest of our lives.”

By the look of the storm above, that may not have been long.

Chapter Text

Vivi looked up at the sky and waited as the storm clouds gathered above, and the crew watched with her. Zoro, newly woken up from his incapacitation, and Robin looked up stoic beside her. The Shandian warrior with them seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Usopp and Carue carried on in a panic, but there was nothing more anyone could do. All their fates were in Luffy and Nami’s hands now.

“He won’t destroy us yet,” Robin assured, “Not until he reaches the golden bell.”

“The bell?” The Shandian asked, as if emerging from a dream.

“Yes,” Robin confirmed, “The one part of the lost city that Enel never found. It’s at the top of this giant vine.”

Their conversation was interrupted when a big chunk of the vine broke off and fell down near them. What was going on up there?

Vivi checked on the broken piece. “Look at these burns. He seared through this thick trunk with just lightning?”

Near them the injured Shandian continued to insist. “The bell that the warrior Calgara longed for is right above us.”

But once again they were interrupted. The loudest thunderclap yet boomed across the sky and the black clouds above resolved into a ball that Enel sent falling down at Angel Island.

Vivi clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. A whole island, the whole town that had been full of people when they arrived, all wiped away to nothing but a hole in the cloud layer.

“They may have been evacuating already,” Robin offered as a comfort.

Vivi shook her head, “They couldn’t have got everyone out in time.”

“We can’t do anything for them,” Zoro said, blunt and to the point as always, yet Vivi did find reassurance in the staunch stoicism.

“Except keep our trust in Luffy,” Vivi finished for him.

Enel was a monster. The source of this nation’s corruption. And Luffy, he would do what he always did best.

A new formation of black clouds began coalescing above. The same thundering sphere that had just erased Angel Island. When this one was ready, it would erase Skypiea, and all of them with it.

“Nami won’t convince him to leave,” Zoro told Vivi, “When we started our expedition he heard about that bell from Robin, and decided he wanted to ring it. The sound would reach those monkey guys on Jaya and tell them we found what they were looking for.”

“And once Luffy says he’ll do something,” Vivi agreed, “Nothing can change his mind.”

Nothing except Vivi herself, once. That time on the winter island, she hadn’t realised yet what a rare feat it was to convince Luffy to reconsider.

The Shandian warrior was still thoughtfully listening to all this.

On a gust of gale force wind, a huge leaf fell down from the vine onto the cloud where they waited. There were symbols and writing scribbled onto it. A message from Luffy and Nami: Cut down the vine so it falls to the west.

Locating the sun was difficult through the thick storm clouds but finding its position then taking into account the time of day… Vivi pointed, “That way is west! Mister Bushido, you’re up!”

The ball of lightning above coalesced into its full final sphere, and Vivi had to shout to be heard of roaring thunder and howling wind, but Zoro got her meaning.

As bolts of lightning began to fall, he drew his swords and leapt at the vine, severing one of its two strands. Then as he landed, a glowing strike hit nearby him, knocking Zoro down to a lower level of the ruins.

The vine creaked and swayed but as yet it refused to fall. It wasn’t enough, and their time was almost up.

Behind her, Robin had been speaking to the Shandian warrior. He asked why they wanted to ring the bell, and Robin told him of Noland’s descendant Cricket.

Vivi heard the opportunity and turned to address the warrior. “You there, Gan Fall told me some of your history. You’re fighting for your nation and for your people. I understand how that feels, not long ago my own kingdom stood on the brink, and we were saved from falling because of my captain, and this crew. I know he seems an unlikely hero, but I know he can do the same for you. For this last minute of our lives, please, trust in Luffy.”

“You believe he can bring back the light of Shandora?” The warrior asked.

Vivi straightened her back and spoke with conviction, “He will.”

The princess and the warrior met each other’s eyes and he saw and understood her resolve and matched it with his own. He jumped across at the vine with a dial in one hand, and up against the remaining strand he activated it, “REJECT!!!”

The explosive force tore apart the vine, and with no remaining support, the giant green tower began to fall to the west.

Looking up into the black sky, Vivi held her breath and counted the seconds and her pounding heartbeat. She saw a single tiny glimmer of light, shining off the gold ball attached to Luffy’s arm, as he and Nami sailed through the air on the waver.

Beat. Beat.

He vanished into the darkness, into that lightning which could obliterate an entire island. The sphere distorted into stretched oblong shapes and began to shrink, the blackness fading to a grey haze, until the cloud broke apart entirely and a burst of sunlight filled the clear skies.

Beat. Beat. Beat. Beat.

The glint off Luffy’s gold arm rushed in a bullet trail at Enel’s flying ship, and then…

CLANG!!!

The ringing peal of the bell resonated across the whole of the sky. Vivi released the breath she had held and let out a joyous cry. They did it!

The flying ark fell down into the White Sea and carried Enel away with it, and all his darkness was burned away by the ringing light of Shandora. Vivi thought the sound was the most beautiful thing she ever heard, and carried on its current in accompanying harmony she could hear her captain’s triumphant laugh.

It felt to Vivi like the world around her breathed a sigh of relief. The lightness in her heart reminded of the moment the rain has begun to fall in Alabasta.

She ran over to Carue and pulled herself up in the saddle, and before anyone could stop her, Vivi raced down towards where she saw Luffy fall from the sky. She arrived to find Nami already there, helping him to his feet.

“Do you think they heard it?” Luffy asked.

And Nami assured him, “I’m sure they did.”

“Luffy! Nami!” Vivi jumped down from Carue and flung her arms around both her crewmates, “You did it! You really did it!”

“Why Vivi, I thought you never doubted our captain for a second,” Nami teased her, but then told Vivi sincerely, “You were right to believe so strongly Vivi. You always are.”

Vivi thanked Nami, and couldn’t help but need to ask her captain, “Is this just what you do, Luffy? You visit broken countries and bring hope back to their shores.”

Luffy laughed at her and flashed his big toothy grin. “Nah! I’m just out here for a fun adventure, it’s not my fault we keep meeting secret societies and mad gods. They sure keep things interesting though huh Vivi? …Vivi?”

Nami and Luffy checked on the princess still clinging to them both.

“I think she fell asleep,” Nami said, “She’s been dead on her feet a while, she took one of Enel’s lightning blasts and instead of getting her rest she jumped right back into the crisis. When I was captured by Enel, no sooner had you fallen off the ark trying to save me, she was climbing up onto it to have a turn at a rescue.”

“That’s just how she is,” Luffy said.

“Stubborn and reckless, like you?” Nami asked.

“Just like me,” Luffy quietly chuckled at Nami’s comment as he hoisted Vivi up off the ground. “I sure picked the right vice-captain. It’s alright Princess, I’ve got you.”

Back at the base of the vine, Chopper saw to the crew’s injuries while everyone waited for Luffy’s return. He and Nami and Vivi and Carue came back together; Nami driving the waver while Luffy rode Carue, and Vivi slumped asleep in the saddle behind him.

The reindeer doctor came to check on them as they eased Vivi off the saddle and into a soft patch of cloud.

“She’s not in danger, just needs a nap,” Luffy assured Chopper, “and she has the right idea.”

The captain flopped down on his back next to Vivi and let his eyes fall shut. “You know what we should do next?” he mumbled, “Let’s have a party. Wake us up when it’s all ready.”

The crew followed their captain’s and first mate’s lead and got their rest after the day’s ordeal, and by the time night fell they joined all the Sky people around a great celebratory bonfire. Skypieans and Shandians and pirates feasted together with no enmity left between them. With the Kami gone, at last there was space and time to make peace.

Chapter Text

In a secluded corner of the celebrations, away from the main bonfire, Usopp and Vivi did their best to convince the sky people to part with their dials.

“This here is a rubber band,” Usopp stretch and toyed with the trinket, “It’s a special kind of weapon containing the power to harm even Enel himself. And over here we have a sheet or iron from our ship. You don’t have iron in the sky, do you?”

Usopp’s sales pitch had drawn in quite a group of interested people. Into that mix, Vivi added one last item to the table to sweeten their offer. She placed a clear bottle of water on the table. “This is the most unique offering we have.”

“It just looks like water,” one sky person said, confused.

“It is, but it’s a special kind of water,” Vivi explained, “Drink some. Just a very small sip.”

The sky person tried a mouthful, then spat it in disgust, “It’s salty!”

“I warned you only a small sip. It’s water we collected from the blue sea,” Vivi said, “It has completely different properties to the rainwater you get here in the clouds.”

Vivi placed the bottle back on the table, and the sky people eyed it with interest. She and Usopp presented their display and asked the all-important question, “How many dials can you give us for all this?”

The sky people rushed off to gather all the shells they could.

“When did you collect a bottle of sea water?” Usopp asked, “Why did you collect a bottle of sea water?”

“I didn’t,” Vivi said, “We have fresh water and salt in the Merry storeroom, so I took one of Zoro’s old wine bottles and mixed some homemade saltwater.”

“And people call me a liar,” Usopp said.

“It’s strange that,” Vivi admitted, “Everything you just said was true, I made up the thing with the water, but you’re the one with the bad reputation.”

Usopp shrugged, “Princess privilege. People believe whatever you say.”

“I am not privileged!” Vivi objected, but when Usopp fixed her with an unconvinced look she admitted, “Ok, maybe I am a little, but the world has much worse nobility out there.”

The sky people came back with a bountiful selection of Dials. Impact, Wind, Jet, Flame, Flash, Tone, Axe, Scent, a pair of the shoes that let the wearer fly off the power of wind dials. And more uncommon kinds besides, the kind that made Iron cloud and String cloud for the Kami’s vassals. Vivi had wondered if she could score that Reject dial off of the Shandian warrior who had helped them, but he seemed quite attached, and with how dangerous the thing was maybe it was for the best.

***

After the night’s festivities, in the soft morning light of dawn, Luffy roused his crew up while most of the sky people stayed sleeping. “Shhh, wake up but stay quiet. We’re gonna steal as much gold as we can and run.”

Vivi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and blinked awake while next to her, Nami and Luffy excitedly bickered over how to pull of their planned heist. Ignoring them, the princess spied Nico Robin in a hushed conversation with some of the other early risers, Gan Fall and some other sky people. Vivi got up and joined the archaeologist. “Having more secret conversations, Miss All Sunday?”

“You’re very diligent keeping me from wandering on my own,” Robin commented in a tone that sounded almost playful, “Some of the Shandians have located the golden bell. I believe it contains more importance than simply as a monument. Another chance at the secret I hope to uncover, like the one beneath your kingdom. You might wish to see this for yourself.”

Robin had told her about some of that when they were in Jaya, Vivi remembered. She had to admit, she was curious.

Vivi followed Robin out to the great bell. The stories hadn’t done it justice. She gasped at the sight when it was before her. One of the support pillars had fallen away from the bell itself, a pillar of solid gold thicker and taller than the Merry’s mast.

Luffy had promised Vivi they would find more gold than she had ever seen. This great construction more than fulfilled that bargain. The bell itself was so tall and wide, looking up inside, it dwarfed the top chamber of the clock tower in Alubarna. The bell behind that clock would ring the hour to a whole city. This gold one in the sky looked as if it could shake the world. A testament to the majesty that once filled the ruins surrounding them.

The words came from her lips unbidden, “Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair.”

Gan Fall and the Shandian chief looked at her, and Robin clarified for them, “It’s from a poem.”

The archaeologist walked up the stone pedestal which held up the bell, and on its front face found a stone with strange writing Vivi didn’t recognise. “We are the ones who weave history with the reverberations of the great bell,” she read.

“How do you know those words?” the Shandian chief asked, “Could it be you can read those letters?”

“I can. And you are the guardians who have protected this stone down the generations, aren’t you,” Robin studied the stone as she read and deciphered the text, “This tells the location of an ancient weapon, which bears the name of the god Poseidon.”

“Like you told me about Pluton,” Vivi recalled.

“Another miss, I guess,” Robin sighed.

“There’s more text,” Vivi noticed and pointed out, scraped into a slab of gold nearby.

Robin came and read it too, and her eyebrows knitted in puzzlement, “I hereby guide this document to its end. Pirate… that can’t be right.”

“What does it say?” Vivi asked.

Robin swallowed her disbelief and finished reading, “Pirate Gol D. Roger. But that’s impossible. How could the pirate king have known these letters?”

On hearing the name Roger, Gan Fall informed them that a man of that name had passed through the sky island 20 years ago. All the while Robin continued to ponder.

“I guide this document to its end…” she mused, her mind churning with thoughts, and once she realised something she told the Shandian chief, “This poneglyph has served its purpose. There are many stones that contain information, scattered around the world. I thought I was looking for just one but now, I’m certain if I read and connect them all, they’ll together form a single document that tells the blank history of the world.”

The void century, Vivi realised as she listened. The lost times from before the World Government was formed. That was the secret Robin searched for?

Relief seemed to wash over the Shandian chief, “Then you’re saying we no longer need to fight? Our ancestors’ wish has been fulfilled?”

“Yes,” Robin confirmed.

“Wait,” Vivi interrupted, “Wait, wait just one moment. You’re saying the purpose of guarding the stones is so one person can read them all and assemble the completed text. So, the guardians’ purpose is finished now that you’ve read this one. But it’s not finished yet is it. There are still more stones for you to find.”

“Correct, my part isn’t finished yet,” Robin said, “But theirs has been.”

“If what you told me about my father is true then my family has been guarding one of these for just as long as the descendants of Shandora. That makes me one of these guardians too, but if our purpose is to help you assemble the completed document then that means I’m not finished,” Vivi took a steadying breath, with Miss All Sunday’s history this could all be a terrible mistake, but she had a feeling deep down that she needed to do this, “I’m going to do whatever I can to help you find the other poneglyphs.”

“I’m surprised you trust me with something so important,” Robin questioned.

“We may not be friends,” Vivi admitted, “But after what we’ve faced together, I’m starting to think we don’t have to be enemies.”

“Then, thank you Princess,” Robin acknowledged, “That means a great deal to me.”

On their return to the main group, the rest of the crew was gathered up with sacks hoisted over their shoulders. Luffy yelled to them, “Heeeeyyy!!! Vivi! Robin! Hurry up! We have to run away with all this gold we stole!”

The rest of the sky island started to rise in uproar over the pirate crew’s sudden exit. Robin and Vivi raced to rejoin their crewmates, laughing in unison at their captain’s antics, until they leapt onto the Merry and cast off into the horizon once again.

The fall off Cloud’s End was almost as violent as their arrival by the Knock Up Stream, but once they crashed back to the Blue Sea Vivi looked back up at the sky. The cloud cover was as thin as any ordinary sunny day. From down here there was so sign the islands in the sky had ever existed, save their memories and their dreams and the hoard of gold stashed below the deck. But then they heard it again, ringing faintly from above. The tone of the great bell seeing them off to their next adventure.

Chapter Text

Vivi sat on her bunk in the girls’ cabin and enjoyed the sensation of Nami brushing out her long hair.

“Wow this stuff takes a lot of maintenance,” the navigator commented, “you tangle it so easily.”

“As a princess you normally have a lady’s maid for this kind of thing,” Vivi admitted, “I had to learn to do it myself when I went undercover, it was such a pain.”

Nami teasingly laughed at her, “Do I make for a good lady’s maid, Princess?”

Instead of laughing back Vivi went silent. “I hope you don’t mind doing this for me. The last thing I want is to treat you like a servant.”

Nami’s next brushstroke yanked on Vivi’s hair. “Ow! Nami!”

“I volunteered to help you with this, because we’re friends,” Nami reminded her, “So take your aristocratic guilt somewhere else.”

Vivi apologised and settle back into the sensation of Nami’s rhythmic brushing.

“You gave up a real life of luxury for us didn’t you. A palace, servants, all that money…” Nami trailed off with a wistful sigh.

“When I’m queen I can give you some cushy meaningless court position if you want,” Vivi offered, “You can have all my perks and avoid all my responsibilities. And I’d finally have company that doesn’t need to bow and scrape.”

“Didn’t you know other girls your own age when you were younger?” Nami asked, “My sister and I used to play with each other's hair as kids. It's really not a special servant thing."

Vivi thought back, “My only friends my own age were Koza and his desert bandits, and I sure wasn’t supposed to get to know them so well. They were all rough and tumble boys though. I think you’re my first girlfriend Nami. …Nami?”

A pink flush had crept onto the navigator’s face before she ducked down out of sight behind Vivi’s back. “Friend who’s a girl,” Nami corrected.

“Isn’t that what I said?” Vivi asked.

“Well, no that’s…” Nami coughed loudly and changed the subject. “I’m guessing you never dated either in that case.”

“Never really thought about it. I knew it wasn’t going to be my choice,” Vivi said, “I imagine if I stayed in Alabasta I’m old enough we would be entertaining marriage proposals. No. Thank. You. Do you have any idea how stuffy and egotistical most royalty is?”

“Ooh, escaping arranged marriage, how scandalous,” Nami nudged Vivi to tease her, and pulled her down so the princess was laying her head in Nami’s lap while she kept up her brushing, “was there a forbidden bond with some dashing boy below your station who you could never be with openly? Orrrrr… maybe even a girl?”

“What, you think I joined this crew just to pursue romance?” Vivi asked.

“I am a catch,” Nami joked, “and you did just call me your girlfriend.”

“Honestly when we met at first, I thought something was happening between you and Luffy,” Vivi said.

“Me and…” Nami had to stop to burst into laughter, “Him? Really?”

“You’re very close with each other!” Vivi tried to defend herself as Nami wiped tears from her eyes from her laughing fit.

“We are, he’s the best friend I’ve ever had,” Nami admitted, “but I’m not… inclined towards men.”

“Oh!” Vivi realised, “I shouldn’t have assumed- I mean…”

Vivi started to sit up, but Nami pushed her to lay back down, “It’s fine really, and we were talking about you not me. I hope you get the chance to do everything you missed out on in your palace. I can’t wait to get to know the new Vivi.”

“New Vivi…” she let herself trail off into thought.

As she was pondering, Nami’s brush got snagged again. “Oh wow, those are some bad tangles there.”

Vivi had a sudden impulse. “You have some scissors back there, right?”

“Yeah?” Nami asked.

“Cut it short,” Vivi told her.

“What? But Vivi it must have taken you years to grow this!” Nami protested, softly touching the princess’s voluminous waist-length hair for what would be the last time. “Once we sort it out it’s gorgeous. It makes you look like…”

“…like a Princess,” Vivi finished. “Princess Vivi lived for her kingdom, and carried the weight of obligation on her shoulders, and never let herself be selfish because thousands of lives depended on her, and she had long fairy tale hair that took hours to take care of. Now, Pirate Vivi.”

Vivi sat up and across from Nami to look her in the eyes, “Pirate Vivi still loves her kingdom. But once she knew everyone was safe, she ran away to sea onto a ship that could carry her to freedom, because she decided friends are more important than duty. And pirate Vivi is dangerous and edgy,” she playfully nudged Nami, “like her friend who’s a girl, who she admires so much.”

Nami asked Vivi again if she was sure, and Vivi said that she was. So the navigator agreed to her request, and when the scissor blades closed almost a metre of blue tresses fell to the floor.

***

With the sun almost set and the light fading, Nico Robin shut her book and returned to the cabin.

She came back to a commotion. Strands of blue hair strewn all over the floor, and Nami sat on one of the beds while Vivi stood and announced herself.

“Presenting the terror of the Grand Line, with a bounty of 80 million Berries, First Mate of the fearsome Straw Hat Crew,” the princess jumped up onto the bed, “Vivi!”

The impact of her feet hitting the mattress rippled the surface and bowled Nami over, and the two of them descended into a giggling fit. Vivi’s newly shortened chin-length hair whipped about her face with a newfound lightness as she moved.

Robin couldn’t help a small smile at the sight of the two girls. But when Vivi noticed her at the door, the princess’s good mood vanished from her face, and she got up with a guardedly neutral expression and started gathering her hair off the floor.

“I should get rid of all this,” she said and brushed past Robin and out the door.

Robin went in and sat on her own bed with a quiet sigh.

“You two have been improving,” Nami offered in encouragement.

Robin didn’t respond. She knew the princess was right to distrust her. Her life was a crime, and her presence was a curse. Only a matter of time until everyone else realised too.

“I know you two have history, but she’s a smart girl, she’s figured out you’re not a danger to her,” Nami continued, “although she’s also smart enough to realise you’re still hiding something. I won’t pry, whatever it is, that’s your own business Robin. But speaking as the authority on lying to this crew for bad reasons I thought were good at the time, I think you should tell her.”

Robin lay back to stare at the ceiling. “Nothing to tell.”

The navigator shrugged, “If you say so.”

***

In the morning, the princess strode out on deck in full pirate regalia. Vivi’s blue & gold coat and tricorn hat had felt a little like a bad pirate costume when she first picked them up before leaving Alabasta, but now they fit her more comfortably. Her new look got some glances of surprise from the boys, though not much commentary. Sanji mentioned he had liked her old princess look, but this way it was easier to see her beautiful face. Luffy looked up from his breakfast to see her and stared very intensely.

“Notice anything different captain?” Vivi asked.

He stared a little longer, tilted his head sideways as he looked at her, then turned his attention back to his food. “Nah.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO???”

“Shtill wook wike Vivi,” he said with his mouth full.

Zoro gave Vivi a pat on the shoulder and mock sagely said, “Don’t worry about him Vivi, he’ll never understand the deep emotional journey behind your haircut.”

“Deep emo…” Vivi crossed her arms, “Are you making fun of me?”

“Leave our princess alone Moss Head!” Sanji shouted.

“What does it matter shit-cook?” the swordsman argued back, “It’s just hair!”

“You just don’t understand ladies, idiot!” the chef continued, “A young woman’s looks are part of her identity! When she makes changes, it means something!”

Vivi threw her hands up and left her crew of morons to themselves.

Chapter Text

“Done,” Vivi said as she snapped her notebook shut. She and Nami had taken a full catalogue of all the treasure they found. Each trinket of gold with a short description along with its dimensions and weight. “Now we can divvy this up.”

The crew started excitedly shouting requests. Chopper wanted books, Sanji needed new pots and pans. For some reason Luffy was going on about a bronze statue.

Nami pushed the majority of the treasure off to one side, “First off, 80% goes to my secret stash.”

The crew all gave the navigator pointed stared and she clarified she was joking.

“Actually, she’s not joking, the real division should look more like this,” Vivi split the 20% pile in half and pushed even more into the majority set aside, “Not for any secret stash. We need to keep this aside because there’s something expensive we’ll need it for before we do any personal spending. Merry needs repairs. This gold should all exchange for a few hundred million Berries, that ought to be enough.”

Usopp’s patchwork repairs could only take them so far. They would need to land at a real shipbuilding dock to get proper fixes done. The crew were all on board with the suggestion, and Luffy had another idea of his own. “Let’s add a shipwright to the crew. We’ll be voyaging a long time yet, we’ll need someone to look after the ship at sea, and that way we won’t need to stop for expensive repairs all the time. Merry is our home and we need to look after her.”

For all his other weird ideas, when he was right, he was right.

On the sea as they sailed, the crew sighted another ship. One with no sails, and no flag, and crewed by far too few men to possibly run it. A strange and unexplainable sight that soon disappeared back behind the waves.

Later that same day, the next island the log pose pointed to appeared on the horizon. Thick fog gave way to a vast empty prairie.

Luffy excitedly jumped off the ship to explore, with Usopp and Chopper behind him. Vivi and the rest of the crew stayed on the ship. She wanted to keep an eye on the horizon. She had a bad feeling about that abandoned ship they saw at sea.

Where she watched, a dark shape appeared behind the fog, then out came a pirate ship. It was huge, with tiered decks and two masts and what looked like hundreds of crewmen. The figurehead was a fox, and out of side two anchors shaped like Fox’s paws latched onto the shores, surrounding Merry on all sides.

“We are the Foxy pirates!” the short and round man at the prow shouted down at them, “What we want is a duel! I have a challenge for your captain!”

Zoro and Sanji were ready to fight, but Vivi signalled for them to wait. Not yet. “The captain’s ashore but I’m the first mate. If you have something to say to us, you can talk to me.”

“A lowly officer?” The rival captain said, “I’m here to issue my challenge captain to captain. Don’t you know who I am?”

“No, who are you?” Vivi asked.

The man above immediately slumped over in depression. “She doesn’t recognise me…”

A woman popped up from the railing next to him. “No Boss! She must just be pretending not to know a famous guy like you!” Then the woman shouted down at Vivi, “You stupid girl! How do you not know Foxy the Silver Fox, most cunning pirate captain on the Grand Line! If your captain is ashore, you’ll take us to him!”

Annoying as these people were, Vivi still hoped to avoid a full-scale battle, so she hopped off the ship and led the way to find Luffy.

Foxy and the woman with him, Porsche, followed Vivi onto the island. Luffy and the crew had met up with an old man and a very long necked horse.

Just another of the Grand Line’s strange creatures, Vivi thought. Foxy’s thoughts were rather more sinister.

“What a creature that is.” He reached into his coat and pulled a flintlock pistol.

Vivi’s eyes went wide, “No!”

She grabbed Foxy’s wrist at the last moment, forcing him to shoot straight up instead of at the horse.

The sound of gunfire caught Luffy’s attention. “Huh? Hey Vivi, who are they?”

Foxy puffed himself up. “We are-”

“Just some nobody pirates,” Vivi answered her captain. “He was about to shoot that horse.”

Foxy fell in his depressed slump again. “She- she called us nobodies.”

“Boss!” Porsche tried to unslump him again.

Luffy balled his fists in anger. “He was gonna shoot the old timer’s horse!? That bastard! Why would he do something like that!?”

“Who am I, you ask?” Foxy jumped back up, “My name is Foxy! I’m the man who gets everything he wants! We, the Foxy pirates, challenge you to a three-coin Davy Back Fight!”

“Davy Back Fight?” Usopp seemed to recognise the name. “Luffy you can’t! Not that game! We’ll lose our crewmates!”

“I’ll fight you whatever way!!”

“Luffy no!” Usopp begged, “Don’t accept the challenge!”

“Usopp what’s wrong? What is a Davy Back Fight?” Vivi asked.

“The rules are always different, but three coins means three challenges,” Usopp said, “and after each the winning crew gets to take a member of the losing crew.”

Vivi nodded in understanding. “Luffy we’re not doing it.”

“But-”

“No.”

Foxy laughed, “I already heard you accept the challenge, Straw Hat. You won’t go back in your word now, would you? Are you no good for your word?”

“I am too!” Luffy argued.

Foxy tossed across a second flintlock pistol. “The challenge is set when both captains shoot into the air.”

Vivi took the pistol from Luffy’s hands and stuffed it in the hem of her pants. “We’re not doing it. Why would you even want this Luffy? We’re risking our crew mates for what? It’s not like these guys have anyone worth taking.”

“She called us worthless…”

“Boss! No! Don’t get depressed.”

“What about our pride?” Luffy argued, “We can’t back down from this pinhead!”

“H-he called me pinhead…”

“Boss!”

“It would be beneath our pride to fight them,” Vivi then turned on Foxy, “You there, pinhead, any bounties on your crew?”

Foxy was too busy lying in the dirt, so his crewmates Porsche answered, “The Boss has a bounty of 24 million.”

“Anyone else on your crew?”

“What does that have to do with-”

“So no then,” Vivi surmised, “Luffy our crew of nine is collectively worth thirteen times more than their crew of hundreds. They’re beneath our pride.”

“We’re not…” Foxy sobbed, “We’re not beneath…”

“Boss!”

Suddenly the thin-skinned pirate captain jumped back up. “Wait! You’re not really listening to her, are you Straw Hat? What kind of captain gets pushed around by a little girl on his crew?”

“Hey! Vivi’s not some little girl!” Luffy defended her, “And listening to her isn’t getting pushed around! She’s one of the smartest people I know and… huh…”

The captain trailed off, realising something, then walked over close to Vivi. “Ok, I’m going to tell you why I want to fight this guy.”

He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Vivi nodded that she understood, thought for a moment, then whispered something back. As he listened, a look of understanding dawned on his face, and then a wide grin of anticipation.

“Ok you’re right, we’re out,” Luffy crossed his arms in an X shape at Foxy, “We do NOT accept your challenge!”

They returned to a lot of jeering and booing from Foxy’s crew. Accusations of cowardice and being afraid to face them. Luffy flopped down on the deck of the Merry and took a nap.

The rest of the Straw Hats looked at each other in a state of confusion. Luffy had turned down a challenge?

“I don’t like just letting them insult us like this,” Zoro said.

“There’s a plan, Mr. Bushido,” Vivi said, “Don’t you trust me?”

He regarded her for a moment, then shrugged, “Guess I do,” and left her to do what needed doing.

Vivi had a short, whispered conversation with Nami. Then she gave the navigator her long blue coat and the pistol she took from Foxy, and Nami climbed up one of the fox paw anchors into the big ship and ingratiated herself.

“Hiiiii, just coming to return this pistol since we won’t be using it to start the challenge… you’re right it is a lovely ship. I wouldn’t have minded being won by a crew like this, if only my captain wasn’t so cowardly. I guess he knew he’d lose…” Nami lied through her teeth, “why yes, I’d love a tour of the ship.”

After some time, Nami came back, and the Foxy pirate raised anchor, shouting even more insults as they departed. The sound of the anchors breaking off the shore woke Luffy from his nap. “Huh, they’re leaving already.”

“Why did you back down from the challenge Luffy?” Zoro asked, “We’re going to lose our reputation if you keep this up. What about our crew’s pride?”

“I talked to Vivi about it, and I only really wanted to challenge them to take their flag and give it to that old man,” Luffy said, “Where do they get off trying to shoot some guy’s horse?”

“So why didn’t you fight them for the flag?”

“You mean this flag?” Nami undid Vivi’s coat and gave it back to the princess, revealing a bolt of black cloth wrapped around the navigator’s body hidden underneath. She unwrapped it into the deck and revealed the Foxy symbol.

Usopp checked after the receding ship with his binoculars, “The flag is missing. You took it?”

“Right off the mast,” Nami confirmed.

“We have an excellent thief on this crew, we should really make more use of her skills,” Vivi said, “The only crew losing reputation here will be them when people see they lost their flag by accident, not even in a real Davy Back. And since their log already reset and they left, once they figure what we did they won’t be able to find the way back.”

“That was devious,” Zoro said, but with a small upturn to his mouth. He would’ve rathered the direct route but even so, he approved.

“Better than putting the crew at risk to get it, right?” Luffy bundled up the stolen flag, “Let’s go give this to that old guy.”

The whole crew came out with him this time.

The old man with the long horse seemed grateful for the help. Vivi was much more concerned with another new arrival. A tall man in a white and blue suit, with an eye mask over his face like he fell asleep standing up. But the crew’s arrival roused him, and when he lifted the mask to reveal his face Robin gasped in fear and recognition and stumbled backwards to get away from him.

“My you’ve grown since I last saw you…” he said, “…Nico Robin.”

Vivi went to check on her. “Robin, are you alright? Who is this guy? Do you know him?”

The man looked down at them both. “We go way back.”

Tensely, Robin answered, “That’s Admiral Aokiji, from Navy Headquarters.”

The name sent a ripple of tension through the crew. Admiral? Someone that important was after them? That title was only given to three people in the whole navy. Only the fleet admiral himself ranked above them. They were considered the greatest military force of the World Government.

“Now now, no need to look so murderous,” Aokiji said, “I’m not here on orders, just taking a stroll in this nice weather. Man, I’m tired of standing up.”

The Admiral sat down and kept talking.

“I don’t intend to capture you, so don’t worry. I just came to verify Nico Robin’s whereabouts after she disappeared from Alabasta. As we suspected, she’s with you guys.” His stare slightly shifted to focus on Vivi, “Nico and Nefertari on the same crew, this is quite the collection of interesting people.”

His words were intentionally unthreatening, the admiral put on a mask of disinterest, but the message was clear. The government was watching them. Vivi and Robin especially. They weren’t free because they were evading notice, only because the navy was choosing to allow it. For now.

Even Luffy caught on to the veiled threat. Sanji and Usopp had to hold him back from attacking the admiral. “I won’t just let him take Robin and Vivi! Taking a walk? Yeah right! Don’t walk around here again! Just go away!”

Aokiji lazily got back to his feet, “Alright, I was ready to leave anyway.”

Before he went, the admiral offered to help the old man they had met. What he proposed seemed impossible, but a still dazed Robin assured it wasn’t. The old man needed to cross the ocean, and in the place where he needed to go Aokiji put his hand into the water and, “Ice Age,” the sea froze over into a solid continent of ice. Devil fruit powers, another Logia like Crocodile and Enel, but Vivi had never seen power to intense before. Neither of those past enemies could wield their element on this scale. So that was the power of a navy admiral.

The old man and his horse joyously departed on the ice. Meanwhile the pirates had bigger problems.

For all Aokiji said about how he wasn’t there to capture anyone, Vivi felt on edge. With a threat of this magnitude nearby, there was no way she could relax until he left. And true to her suspicion, it wasn’t going to end so easily. “You’re a lot like your gramps, Monkey D. Luffy. You’re wild. You have no self-control.”

Luffy visibly flinched at the mention of his grandfather. Just who was he?

“I owed your grandpa a debt from a long time ago,” Aokiji said, “I came here to get a glimpse of Nico Robin, and this rogue princess that has everyone worried. And you, Straw Hat. But I changed my mind, this is quite the dangerous collection of people. Maybe it’s best if you all die before you go any further.”

Chapter Text

“The government still doesn’t think very highly of you, but now that I’ve had a closer look, I see you and your crew have grit,” Aokiji said, looking over and appraising the Straw Hats, “Although your number is small, a collection of troublemakers like you is bound to become bothersome in time. I know all the details, from the very first bounty placed on the captain’s head, to your many exploits, and how quickly your strength has grown. I’ve faced many ruthless villains over the years, and you guys are starting to scare me. And the reason you seem most dangerous is her.”

Aokiji pointed an accusing finger at Nico Robin.

“You are after Robin!” Luffy angrily shouted, “If you try to take her, I’ll kick your butt!”

“I have nothing against her, if we have any connection, it’s that I once allowed her to get away,” Aokiji said, “She’s schemed and betrayed her way through the underworld ever since, and now she’s hidden herself in this crew. You’ll soon find out what a troublesome woman she is. Every organisation that she’s associated with has fallen, with her always as the only one to escape, except…”

The admiral’s pointing finger wandered away from Robin to point at Vivi beside her. Vivi and Robin shared a quick glance, the only crewmates singled out by the admiral, for what? The princess found that she had taken Robin’s hand and laced their fingers together, though who was comforting who she wasn’t sure.

“Miss All Sunday and Miss Wednesday, the last escapees of the Baroque Works,” Aokiji mused, “We’ve always kept tabs on Nico Robin for how dangerous she might be, and the Nefertari Princess seems to worry the old dragons upstairs for reasons they won’t say. How strange to find both still together, serving the same captain.”

Vivi’s hand clenched tighter around Robin’s. The rest of the crew looked confused. “What dragons? What is he talking about?” they whispered around her. Vivi knew exactly what the admiral meant. Them. The Nefertari family had always been regarded with suspicion in the Holy Land.

“Just what are you trying to say!?” Robin snapped, “There’s no conspiracy here! If you want to capture me then do it but leave the princess out of this!”

“So defensive of her,” Aokiji noticed.

“Trienta Fleurs!” an armada of arms sprouted around Aokiji and locked him in place, “Clutch!”

The admiral’s body snapped in half and shattered in fine crystals of ice. That was a mistake. His fruit was one of that type. They had got lucky before with Crocodile’s and Enel’s weaknesses, but no such opportunity was here. No attack they had at their disposal would hurt this kind of power.

Aokiji’s body emerged and reformed from the crystalline dust. “That wasn’t very nice,” he said as he advanced menacingly upon Robin and Vivi.

Luffy, Zoro and Sanji all came him at once, and Aokiji stopped all three, knocking them back with iced over limbs. Their entire monster trio all at once and the admiral treated it like nothing.

“You’ve met some fine companions,” Aokiji reached out and grabbed onto Robin, and ice spread out across her body from the point of contact, “but you’re the same old Nico Robin.”

As the ice overtook her, Robin wrenched her hand free from Vivi’s grip and shoved the princess back.

“Robin!” Vivi shouted, and a tiny look of relief came over Robin's face before the ice encased it.

“Clever of her, stopping the ice from spreading to you,” Aokiji said to Vivi, “Don’t look so upset, she’ll still be alive when she thaws. But be careful, she’ll die if she breaks. For example, if you were to hit her like this…”

Aokiji pulled back a fist, making to punch Robin’s frozen body. Vivi leapt up and tackled Robin out of the way and using her own body as a shield when they fell on the hard ground. Aokiji’s fist hit air and he looked down with annoyance at Vivi on the ground safely clutching Robin. He started to reach down for the princess too but before he could…

“Gum-Gum Pistol!” Luffy’s punch hit the admiral in the back and he shattered into ice crystals again.

Vivi got to her feet and whistled, calling Carue to her, and she hurriedly put Robin into his saddle. “Carue, grab Chopper and get him and Robin back to the ship so he can help her recover.”

“Quack!”

“No, I’ll stay here, you’ll go faster with only two passengers,” Vivi said, “Go!”

Carue rushed away across the grass carrying Chopper and Robin.

“Vivi you should get out of here too,” Luffy said, “He’s after you as well as Robin.”

She shook her head, “You can’t beat him alone, maybe six of us together can figure out a way.”

She wasn’t confident after the way Aokiji took down the monster trio so easily already. But what other choice was there? The admiral wasn’t going to simply leave.

“You all need to run!” Luffy insisted as Aokijij’s body began reforming, “He’s mine! I’ll fight him one on one!”

He met Vivi’s eyes with confidence. Trust me? His gaze seemed to ask her. Please?

Vivi nodded. Always, she said back silently.

“Everyone back to the ship! Captain’s orders!” Vivi commanded, and with her crew around her she ran.

They reached the ship far behind Carue and Chopper, who came out and saw them as they arrived.

“Where’s Luffy?” Chopper asked, realising the captain wasn’t with them.

“Stayed behind,” Vivi said.

“HE STAYED BEHIND!?”

“Chopper! Focus! Zoro and Sanji have a frozen arm and leg, and Robin still needs us.”

Vivi knelt down and held the little reindeer by the shoulders, grounding and steadying him.

“Right. Ok,” Chopper calmed down with Vivi’s help, and then shouted down to Zoro and Sanji, “You guys jump in the sea, use the water to melt the ice faster. Once it thaws keep rubbing the affected areas to warm up.”

The boys jumped in the ocean as instructed. Now for Robin. Chopper had propped her up in the shower with the faucet running over her.

“I’m- I’m trying to treat it like hypothermia, but I don’t know if it works like that,” Chopper stammered, “and if we warm her up too fast, she might crack. I’ve never seen someone frozen solid like this! Aokiji said she was alive, but I don’t know how! I don’t know-”

“Chopper!” Vivi broke his spiral again, “You’re her best chance, Doctor. What do you need?”

“I need, uh,” the reindeer took a deep breath and focused, “Robin needs to warm up evenly across her whole body. The water is pooling beneath her, so we need to bucket it up to her head again.”

“Then grab four buckets,” Vivi said, “You, me, Nami and Usopp.”

The four of them couldn’t easily fit crowding around Robin so they took it in turns, replacing whenever someone got tired to never slow the pace and leave an uneven distribution.

In a few minutes, Zoro and Sanji came in dripping seawater, having finally recovered themselves. Robin’s colour was coming back by then, but she was still stiff and unmoving, and her skin turned blue.

“How can we help?” Sanji asked.

“Go back for Luffy,” Vivi told him.

“He said he has to fight the admiral by himself.”

“Because he’s an idiot! Go back and get him before he gets himself killed!”

Sanji and Zoro took Carue back across the island while Vivi kept up coordinating the effort to thaw Robin.

A minute later Carue came back carrying a frozen solid Luffy.

“Carue what happened?” Vivi asked.

He quacked and Chopper translated, “he says when they got there Aokiji was gone, so Zoro and Sanji sent him back to bring Luffy quickly, and they’re running back on foot.”

“Gone? Gone where?” Vivi incredulously wondered, “He could come here and do the same to all of us, why would he just leave?”

No time for questions like that, however. They brought Luffy into the showers too. What they were doing for Robin seemed to be working, so it could help him too. They just had to keep up the effort.

Sanji and Zoro joined the bucket rotation once they returned to the ship. They worked until the sun was setting and their arms were growing leaden from the work of moving buckets, but they all refused to stop. Luffy and Robin needed them.

Robin was the first to finally stir. While Vivi was attending her buckets, Robin’s fingers twitched, then she sharply inhaled, then her whole body fell loose and she pitched forward into Vivi’s arms. Robin blinked drowsily, disoriented and confused. “Princess… what… where…”

Vivi burst into sobs and wrapped her arms around Robin, squeezing tight and crying into her shoulder. “You’re okayyyyy!!! We thought you died! We didn’t know what to do and we didn’t want to lose youuuuu!!!”

“It’s ok,” Robin softly returned the hug, “I’m here Princess. You… Princess, you called me Robin.”

Vivi sniffled and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, “Yeah, I guess I did.”

She led Robin out on deck, where hot food and blankets awaited her. Vivi was dead tired herself, food and warm blankets sounded like paradise right now, but her crew wasn’t out of this blizzard yet. Back into the breach she went, Luffy still needed her.

Thankfully, in only a few more minutes, the captain stirred too.

“Is he alright?” Vivi asked Chopper as he helped Luffy upright.

The doctor nodded, “I think so.”

“Good,” Vivi strode up to them and punched Luffy as hard as she could on the arm, “You idiot! Don’t ever worry me like that again! What were you thinking!?”

Chopper panicked that Vivi would attack his patient. Luffy brushed him off and stood on his own. “I fought the guy one on one. After beating me he can’t go after anyone else, that would be against the spirit of a duel.”

“And what if he did anyway?” Vivi asked.

“He wouldn’t,” Luffy said, “You don’t get what a duel between men means.”

“But what if he did?”

“Then he’d be really dishonourable.”

“And we’d be dead, Luffy."

Luffy held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes, she same way she had done to Chopper when he was spiralling.

“You’re a real worrier Vivi,” the captain said, “You can’t plan for everything. Lots of things could have happened in Alabasta, but they didn’t, and you saved your people. Lots of things could have happened right now, but they didn’t, and everyone got through ok. Sometimes we just have to take chances and trust each other to make sure it works out. Right?”

“Right,” Vivi let herself calm down. She was strung out and on edge and not thinking clearly, “It’s hard not to worry. I don’t what we’d do if we lost you Luffy.”

“Bet you could take over as captain and become Pirate Queen yourself,” Luffy told her cheerfully.

“You’re way too upbeat for someone who just nearly froze to death.”

“Nah, you’re way too down for someone didn’t even get popsicled.”

Vivi shook her head. “We should tell everyone you’re alright. There’s hot food waiting, and then we could all use some rest.”

“Food!” Luffy rushed out on deck, “Where!?”

Chapter Text

The night after they faced Aokiji, once Chopper felt assured Robin was stable, he reluctantly allowed her to retreat to her cabin, but first made both other Straw Hat women promise to keep an eye on her.

In their quarters, Robin sat on her bunk and drew herself into the corner wall, knees up under her chin. Robin’s bunk was against a corner of the room, as was Vivi’s on the opposite wall at the far end of the row of beds. Nami didn’t get a corner, she had volunteered for the bed in the middle to provide a buffer between Vivi and Robin. Positioning herself in the corner let Robin watch both her crewmates and keep a wall to her back, and she was still shivering even huddled up like she was.

Vivi and Nami exchanged a concerned glance. “You’re cold,” Vivi said.

Robin shook her head, “You don’t need to concern yourself Princess.”

“But I am concerning myself,” Vivi got up from her bed, walked around Nami’s, and plopped herself down at the foot of Robin’s, “Up, out of the corner.”

Robin reluctantly obeyed by leaning forward a little, and Vivi lifted up the blankets and draped them over Robin’s shoulders. Then the princess got in under next to her and patted the spot on Robin’s other side.

“Nami, you too,” Vivi beckoned, “We’re keeping Robin warm.”

Nami looked unsure, “All three of us sharing would be cramped. And is Robin ok with…?”

“It isn’t necessary,” Robin insisted again.

Vivi shifted to look Robin in the face. “Tony-kun trusted us to look after you, so that’s what we’re doing. If something I can do will help you, I will do it. So don’t just talk about necessary, think of what would improve anything for you even a tiny bit.”

“I am unused to allowing anyone so close to me but,” Robin’s reluctance melted into a soft smile, “it would be welcome from the two of you.”

At another prompting from Vivi, Nami relented and joined too. It was uncomfortably cramped to fit three of them on a single mattress, Vivi found herself crammed between the wall and Robin’s back, the price of giving Robin the cozy comfort of the middle space. But despite the princess’s discomfort, sleep found her eventually.

When she woke the next morning, Vivi eased herself up and noticed Nami fluttering awake as well.

“That was much too cramped for three,” the navigator whispered, “I had to sleep with my butt hanging off the side.”

“It was,” Vivi looked down at Robin, the older woman sound asleep, and looking completely comfortably at ease for the first time since they met her, “And all worth it.”

Nami playfully nudged Vivi, “You’re getting all close with Robin all of a sudden.”

Vivi kept replaying the fight in her head since it happened. Aokiji had come for both of them, Vivi and Robin has both been his targets. And Robin saved her, made sure she didn’t get frozen when Robin did. She had repaid that debt, made sure Robin survived her freezing in turn, but she still couldn’t get the moment out of her head. The princess sighed, “She hasn’t actually done anything to hurt us, and it’s not like there was no opportunity. Maybe she deserves a chance? I don’t know.”

***

The crew spent the next days at anchor to rest and recover. Robin and Luffy were under orders to take it easy and mend, and the rest of the crew took the opportunity to relax after their ordeal, but Vivi decided she had work to do.

In the early hours one morning she roused Sanji and brought him with her on shore. “I haven’t been much help whenever we get into fights, and it’s time for me to change that,” Vivi told him.

He air-headedly nodded along to whatever she said. “You already do so much and you’re going to be a fighter too? You’re as talented as you are beautiful, my Princess.”

“I didn’t bring you out here to compliment me,” Vivi chastised him as she strapped one of the dials she took from Skypiea onto her left palm, “I brought you here to kick me.”

“Kick you?” Sanji tilted his head in puzzlement.

“These dials we took could be how I keep up with the enemies we meet. The first one I’m trying is the Impact Dial,” Vivi showed him how she had attached it to her hand, “but it needs to absorb an impact first. Luffy is still recovering, and Mr Bushido’s slashes might not work like an impact. So, kick my palm and hit the dial.”

“I won’t ever hit a woman,” he said.

“You’re not hitting me, you’re hitting a shell,” Vivi said, “So don’t miss.”

Sanji reluctantly agreed and reared back his foot and kicked, landing his boot right on the dial in Vivi’s palm. Vivi took it and pressed her hand towards one of the island trees, “…and Impact.”

Vivi pressed, and the tree trunk snapped in half and crashed to the ground with a loud thud, but even louder than the fall was Vivi’s shriek as she stumbled back a step and shook her hand out.

Sanji came to check on her immediately. “Vivi are you alright?”

“It hurts,” Vivi complained, “The impact goes into the user’s arm as hard as it goes into the target.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t use that one.”

“It’s the most powerful kind! If I just practice with it…”

“Vivi,” Sanji steadied her, “you’re an incredible woman with a big heart, and I know you want to protect all of us like we’ve done for you. But I’d rather be in danger than see you hurt yourself to keep me safe, and I know all the others feel the same way.”

Vivi looked down at her feet. “I still have a responsibility.”

On the ship above, Luffy ran up to the railing and looked down at them on the shore below. “What’s going on? We heard Vivi shout.”

“I’m trying to learn to fight using dials,” she answered, “it’s not easy.”

Luffy vaulted himself over the rail onto the ground. “Sure fightin’ is easy, I’ll show ya how to punch.”

“I know how to punch, I used to be in a gang,” Vivi reminded him, “but I don’t think a normal person can hit like you do Luffy.”

“Yeah ya can, you don’t need rubber powers to hit good,” Luffy promised, “now make a fist.”

Vivi sighed and indulged him. She supposed she was a little rusty. She did it right-handed this time since her left was still tingling from the impact dial. Vivi formed a fist and made a jab at the air.

Luffy scrutinised her and shook his head. “You’re tensing up before you move. And don’t lock your elbow. You need to be loose.”

Ok, maybe she was very rusty. Luffy demonstrated one for her, and Vivi did her best to copy.

“That’s more like it,” Luffy said, “Now faster and harder.”

He stood in front of her this time, with his hand outstretched. Vivi jabbed again, which Luffy caught in his outstretched palm. “See? You’ve got it! That was great!”

“Really?” Vivi was surprised his bouncy rubber body even felt the hit.

“Yeah!” Luffy enthused, “Now just build some more muscle up and you’ll be punching like a pistol. Like this!”

He shot off one of his full force rubber punches, which hit the Merry and broke a chunk out of the hull. Vivi slapped her palm over her face.

“Uh!” Luffy scratched the back of his head looking at the damage, “Whoops!”

“Good thing we’re finding a shipwright at our next stop.”

Chapter Text

The crew spent four days recovering before they set sail again. The sea was unusually calm for the Grand Line as they sailed on towards the next destination the log pose needle pointed towards.

Luffy was back to his bouncy happy self and Robin was quietly cheerful, as if their near-death experiences never happened. Vivi could believe Luffy had bounced back that easily but looking at Robin she thought she could see frayed edges to her smile, like something else hid under that expression.

A few days out at sea, they saw a strange sight. A giant frog swimming in the ocean. Luffy wanted to catch it and eat it, and Merry sailed closer, but then Vivi noticed a plume of steam in the distance and the sound of metal grating and rattling on metal.

“Nami!” Vivi pointed out the approaching thing, “We need to move the ship!”

The steaming speck in the distance quickly grew into a hulking metal monstrosity that screeched past faster than Vivi had ever seen. If not for Nami’s quick direction change, the Merry would have been hit and snapped in half by that thing.

The frog wasn’t so lucky and hit the steaming machine head on, getting bounced off into the air by the impact.

As the excitement of the near miss died down, they realised they’d come to a stop next to a lighthouse and platform built out here in the middle of the sea.

“Granny, Granny! Look! Pirates!” A little girl came out of the house with a rabbit perched on her shoulder, followed by a wrinkly pear-shaped old woman.

The girl introduced herself as Chimney, the rabbit as her “cat” Gonbe, along with her granny Kokoro, the round old woman who smiled just a little too sharply to be human.

“Say Chimney, was that a steam ship?” Nami asked, “How can something that shape cross the ocean.”

“Bet you never saw anything like it!” The little girl enthused, “That’s the sea train, Puffing Tom. It runs on tracks just below the surface to take people from island to island.”

That sounded like quite the boon in a place like the Grand Line where navigation was so difficult.

“A frog wouldn’t know all that,” Luffy lamented, “How cruel to blast him away like that.”

Vivi side eyed her captain, “Luffy you wanted to eat him.”

“Oh, that’s Yokozuna,” Chimney said, “He tries to test his strength by fighting the sea train. He’ll be back to try again later.”

Old Kokoro told them about some of the islands the train could reach, Luffy sounded excited by “gourmet city” but Nami said they should stick to the log. She showed Kokoro, who told them it was pointing at another sea train destination anyway.

“You’re headed for Water 7, they call it the city of water,” Kokoro said, “they’re renowned for their ship building industry. Even the world government commissions their battleships there.”

That sounded like the ideal destination. They were looking to get Merry repaired. Where better than the renowned shipbuilding island.

Kokoro gave them a letter of recommendation to take to the best shipbuilding dock in the city, and then the crew was away to sea again. They were all excited to get Merry fixed up all new again, Usopp most of all.

Within the same day they arrived. They saw the island rising out of the sea, spewing water into the wait from the summit, which flowed down canal on all the city streets until it flowed back to the sea. The whole city was one huge water fountain.

Docking at the main port would be trouble for a pirate ship, but further around the coast was a cape in a crumbling district where they could lay anchor. First order of business was to exchange their stolen gold for Berries, and then they needed to find the man named Iceberg who Kokoro had directed them to. So Luffy, Vivi, Nami and Usopp loaded up the gold in bags and set out to shore.

The first shop they came across was a “bull rental” shop.

“What kind of bulls are they renting?” Vivi wondered aloud.

Luffy blundered inside to find out. “Hey, we want to rent a bull.”

“Find out what it is first!” Vivi, Nami and Usopp berated him in unison.

They were the local transport, it turned out. A kind of huge seahorse with a saddle. Renting two of the smallest kind would fit the four of them. One of the bulls in the pen seemed to really like Luffy, Vivi couldn’t help but laugh as it licked the captain’s whole face with its big wet tongue. They chose that one and one other.

They mounted with Luffy and Usopp on one, and Nami and Vivi on the other, keeping to gold with them too.

Luffy puzzled at how the girls kept all the gold between, “Huh? Dontcha guys trust me?”

“Nope,” Nami and Vivi said together. He would probably do something stupid with their money if they let him hold it.

The bulls swam smoothly and responded well to direction. Vivi still preferred Carue. But with directions from the rental shop owner, they made it easily towards their next stop.

The path took them through canal streets and up sloping channels and through a floating market. Some of the bulls were huge, as big as whole ships, and on board the most opulent ones were people wearing odd festival masks.

Feeling comfortable in an abundance of wealth, the crew picked up some snacks from the floating stalls. Luffy really liked the grilled “water-water meat” one place had. Vivi was more cautious of mystery meat, but she got herself a little bag of custard pastries to share with Nami.

“Bit of a sweet tooth Princess?” Nami asked as she took one.

Vivi happily munched on her own, “Just in a good mood. Aren’t you?”

“You’re right,” Nami agreed, “Seems like we found the perfect destination for Merry’s needs, and it’s a beautiful city. If the repairs take a few days maybe we can explore a little together.”

“I’d like that,” Vivi said.

They had seen as they sailed in that Water 7 was built in tiers, and to move from the lowest tier to the next one up they had to ride into a pump chamber, which filled with water and raised up to the next level. They really used this island’s natural features to their full advantage.

At the currency exchange, the appraiser took their gold and examined it closely under a magnifying eyepiece. His fancy suit, complicated eyepiece, and long thoughtful ‘hmmm’ before giving a value were all calculated to give the impression his verdict was expert. Nami and Vivi exchanged glances, they saw right through the sales pitch. Naturally, Luffy and Usopp were beyond impressed by the first offer the appraiser gave them. “A HUNDRED MILLION BERRIES!!!”

Nami wasn’t so easily swindled. She stabbed her heeled shoe in the table, “I forgot to mention, we’re from a pirate crew, and there are 180 million berries worth of bounty sitting in this office. I don’t like your appraisal, and if you lie to me again, I’ll scalp you.”

The appraiser broke out in a cold sweat. Vivi got up and sat on his side of the table, offering him a friendly smile. “I’m so sorry about my friend, she has quite the temper on her. No manners.”

Nami hmphed at her, “Excuse you, Princess.”

“Now you seem like a nice guy, I don’t want you to get hurt,” Vivi continued to ply the appraiser, “if you give her another offer she doesn’t like, I won’t be able to stop her. So how about you whisper the next number to me, and I’ll let you know if you’re safe or not.”

Seeking refuge with Vivi, the appraiser told her, “Three hundred million.”

That was about that they’d been hoping for. Nami would take it with satisfaction. But he didn’t need to know that. “It’s a gamble,” Vivi lied, “you might get lucky if she’s in a good mood.”

The appraiser offered them four hundred million berries, which Nami and Vivi took in two briefcases each.

Nami grinned at her as they left, “That was some first class scamming Vivi.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you Nami.”

Money in hand, they went onwards to the shipyards. Now to find this guy named Iceberg. Luffy tried to just wander in through the gate and was stopped by a tall man with a long square nose. Luffy squinted at the man’s nose, “Usopp?”

Usopp was standing right next to him. Their captain could be unbelievable sometimes.

“Only authorised personnel are allowed inside I’m afraid,” the man said, “I’m Kaku, one of the shipwrights here.”

Nami handed over the letter they received from Kokoro, “We’d like to see Mr. Iceberg.”

“Ah, from Kokoro at the shift station, we’ll see what we can do,” Kaku read, “Mr. Iceberg is very busy. He’s mayor of Water 7, and president of this shipbuilding company the Galley-La, and he’s in charge of the sea train. Where did you dock?”

“At the rocky cape.”

“All right, I’ll jot over and assess the state of your ship. That’ll speed things up when you speak to Mr. Iceberg.”

And with that, Kaku ran and jumped over the nearest ledge. The drop was a hundred feet at least, but he landed safely in a rooftop and leapt onwards.

“Don’t worry about him,” a new voice said behind them. When they looked, they saw a man in a suit, followed by a blonde secretary in tall boots and a pencil skirt.

“I heard you’re here to see me,” the man said. This must be Iceberg. He looked aside and asked his secretary, “Kalifa?”

“Yes, I’ve completed the background check,” the secretary Kalifa confirmed, “The Straw Hat crew is a group with its beginnings in East Blue. Straw Hat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro, Desert Princess Nefertari Vivi, and Nico Robin are the members with bounties, totalling 319 million altogether. The group currently has eight crew members.”

“Nine,” Vivi corrected. Seems nobody thought to count Carue. “You’re very well informed.”

The princess didn’t like the thought of anyone keeping tabs on her. Not now she was a wanted criminal.

“Kalifa is excellently organised,” Iceberg said.

“Indeed,” the secretary agreed, “Mr. Iceberg you also have your lunch meeting scheduled in ten minutes, followed by a public appearance in Riguria Square. Then you’re meeting with the mayor of Gourmet City to be interviewed by the newspapers, and after that I have some documents for you to go over.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Very well, I’ll cancel everything.”

That sounded like an irresponsible way to run a city, Vivi thought. “Are you sure? Those meetings sounded important.”

She knew how excruciatingly busy it could be, the Alabasta royal court was never idle, there was always something that needed attention. But much as anyone might want to get away from that, it couldn’t simply be left aside. Someone needed to do it.

This was who they needed to see?

With Kokoro’s recommendation letter in hand, Iceberg agreed to let them in while they waited for Kaku to come back with his assessment.

As they were about to go in, a large burly man walking by bumped hard into Vivi, and in the scuffle snatched one of her briefcases and ran.

“Hey!” Vivi gave chase but he was on a bull before she could reach him. As he was fleeing, another man jumped over the rail of the bridge above the canal, whipping Vivi’s assailant into the water with some ropes as weapons.

“That’s one of your shipwrights, right?” Usopp asked, to which Iceberg confirmed it was. So Usopp called out to the guy, “Hey thanks! That money’s ours! Can you return it?”

The shipwright with the ropes picked up the briefcase and seemed to realise what he was holding. It looked like he was contemplating trying to run off with it too.

Vivi threw her peacock slicer, so the end of the thin chain wrapped around the case handle. “Ours. Give.”

“Hey, I found this! It’s mine now.”

“You want to test that?”

Vivi hadn’t been expecting to fight the shipwrights they had come to hire, but it turned out she didn’t need to.

Another shipwright, a tall man with a pigeon on his shoulder, took the case out of the other’s hand and returned it to Vivi. She took it back gratefully, but something about the cold look about that man unsettled her.

“Our apologies for Paulie,” the pigeon said, speaking on its owner’s behalf, “he has many debts. I am Hattori the pigeon, and this is Rob Lucci. Our pleasure to meet you, Princess Vivi. Koo! Koo!”

The pigeon was off enough, but the man set Vivi on edge.

“Of course, thank you.” Vivi just wanted to get moving. Away from Lucci’s dead eyes looking at her now.

“Who was that guy who snatched it?” Nami asked.

“One of the Franky Family,” Kalifa answered, “they’re ship dismantlers, and bounty hunters on the side. They can be a real nuisance.”

Paulie, the foreman with the ropes turned almost thief, climbed up from the bull he’d taken, and guffawed at the sight of Vivi and Nami. “What the- Such scandalous women! This is a workplace! What if you distract the workmen!?”

Vivi rolled her eyes, “I don’t know, have you tried gouging your eyes out?”

She decided she didn’t like any of these people. Lucci who looked on her so coldly, Kalifa who knew too much, those worried her. Iceberg who ran this town so laissez faire, Paulie who seemed irritated by the existence of women, those just annoyed her. Hopefully they could get this over with quickly.

***

Sanji packed the last of the produce he bought into Carue’s saddlebags. “That should be enough supplies for a while. Back to the ship now huh?”

“Quack.”

“I hope Vivi and Nami are ok. Carrying all the gold around they’ll be a big target, and without me there to protect them…”

“Quack.”

“You’re right, we should have gone with them. A princess needs her prince and her loyal steed, right Carue?”

“Quack.”

As they walked, Sanji spied his third great love across the canal, “Hey Robin! Hey!”

Robin was with a tall bulky man in a mask. Must be Chopper in his big human-shaped form. He ran to catch up as they disappeared around a corner, but when Sanji rounded the corner too, they were nowhere to be seen. Like Robin just vanished into thin air.

***

Iceberg let the crew inside the shipyard for a tour while they waited. The place was full of men working, there was an enormous galleon under construction. Vivi could feel Lucci’s eyes following her as he tailed the tour group. Usopp started to get distracted by cannons and slip away, so Vivi went with him, hoping to find somewhere quieter and further away from all these people and the threats that wormed under her skin.

“That’s a demi-culverin cannon,” Usopp excitedly rambled as Vivi followed him through the tall storage racks full or different kinds of artillery, “That’s so cool. Must be really expensive.”

“I think we could spring for some new cannons,” Vivi said, “we have plenty enough to pay for everything.”

As they walked, Vivi was on alert and one edge from earlier, and she heard footfalls behind them almost too late. Usopp didn’t hear and went down from a hammer blow across the head by another member of the Franky family. One of four that had followed them. With Usopp down they surrounded Vivi.

She stuffed a hand into her coat pocket.

“Going for a weapon?” One of the thugs threatened, “That’s not going to help you.”

He was right of course, Vivi couldn’t take on them all alone, but she wasn’t reaching for a weapon. In her pocket was a tone dial, no different to any other on the sky island she traded for it from, but special for which sound it recorded.

She took it out and held it up, and it played back the sound of the mightiest bell Vivi ever heard.

***

“What do you mean you can’t fix Merry!?” Luffy demanded, “Why not!? You’re supposed to be the best shipwrights! We’ve got all the money you could want!”

“The money isn’t the issue,” Kaku said, “The damage is too severe. Your ship can’t be repaired. I’m surprised that you even managed to sail it here in that condition.”

Luffy and Nami didn’t want to accept it. Merry had been their ship, from the East Blue all the way here. They prepared to argue more, when the deep ringing tones of a bell washed over the whole shipyard.

“The light of Shandora?” Nami realised, “Why would… Vivi!”

Luffy and Nami both ran towards the sound. Somewhere behind stacks of cannons they found Usopp, beaten and bloodied. There was no sign of Vivi or her two briefcases of money.

Nami knelt next to him, “What happened? Who did this to you?”

“It was those Franky thugs. They took…” Usopp struggled to talk through his injuries, “…they took our money! They took Vivi! I couldn’t stop them, I couldn’t…”

“Damn it!” Luffy took off running, “I’ll beat those guys to hell!”

“Luffy wait!” Nami called but he was already gone. She turned back to her injured crewmate, “Stay here Usopp, I’ll go back to the ship and send Chopper to help you. Don’t worry about the money or about Vivi. I’m going to round up Zoro and Sanji and we will get her back.”

She left him there and ran back to the bulls, riding as fast as she could to get back to the Merry.

Just hold on Vivi, Nami thought, we’re coming.

Chapter Text

It was a depressing air on the Merry when Sanji, Carue and Chopper returned. Bad enough Chopper told them Robin had vanished. Even worse, Zoro informed them what the shipwright had said after assessing the ship. There was no way to fix Merry. But it was about to get much worse for the poor duck. Nami returned to ship, running over the cape at full sprint. Nami alone. Where were Luffy and Usopp? Where was Vivi?

Carue quacked nervously.

“I’m sorry Carue,” Nami said, “Everyone we need all your help. Vivi’s been kidnapped!”

***

With every joint and muscle in his body screaming in pain, Usopp got to his feet. Nami said stay here, but he couldn’t. It was his fault they lost Vivi. His fault they wouldn’t have enough money to fix Merry. He had to be the one to make it right. Some of the guys at the shipyard told him to stop. He was injured, and his crewmates said they were coming back, right? He ignored them and brushed past. He had to do this himself. His fault. His fault.

***

Vivi was carried through the streets with a bag over her head. She had no idea where she was taken, but she could hear the waves nearby, so she must be near the sea. Once her captors stopped, she was tied to a chair, and she blinked in the light when the bag was taken off her head. She was in a run-down shanty house, seated tied to her chair in front of a makeshift throne built of broken wood and sat in it was a huge man in a yellow mask.

“Franky, I presume,” Vivi guessed.

“Super correct little pirate,” the big man said, “we make our living off people like you, you understand there’s no hard feelings right.”

“Of course,” Vivi replied, “and in the spirit of no hard feelings, let me go and return my money and we can consider this forgiven. I’ll tell my crew not to break this place into rubble.”

Franky laughed at that threat. “That’s funny. Just who do you think you are girlie?”

One of Franky’s men who kidnapped her spoke up. “Boss, she has a bounty of 80 million! And look what she was carrying!”

He gave Franky a copy of Vivi’s bounty poster, and the two briefcases she carried which he quickly counted out. “Two hundred million?”

Franky’s underling eagerly nodded, “Enough for that thing you’ve been saving for.”

“Every time we came into money, I would bet it all on the Yagara races and end up broke! Whenever we catch a pirate with a big bounty, we throw a huge party and end up broke!” As Franky gave the impassioned speech, if Vivi wasn’t mistaken he was crying under that mask, “We’ve never had the whole two hundred million before! You guys are the best!”

“And now you finally have it Boss!”

“It’s not much guys but here, five million!” Franky threw the bills in the air to cheers from his men, “Throw a huge party to celebrate! I’m going to take this money to buy what I need right now. And tomorrow we’ll take this pirate to the bounty office and have even more!”

Vivi loudly cleared her throat to get their attention again. “Of course you’re forgetting who you stole that money from. So, I’ll give you one more chance. Give it back and let me go and we’ll call it even, or if you don’t, you’ll find out what it’s like to go up against the crew who took down a warlord of the sea.”

Franky eyes her suspiciously, “The news said the navy defeated Crocodile.”

“You trust the world government to tell the truth about their rogue warlord?” Vivi pointedly asked.

She saw a hint of something in Franky’s eyes under his mask. He was familiar with world government injustice, she was sure of that. If she could just push a bit harder, get him to believe…

“The navy was powerless against Crocodile. The few that even tried that is,” Vivi bitterly added, “They lied to save face, that’s what the government does, but the truth is it was my crew who brought the warlord down. Are you sure you want to take that risk?”

The silence hung between them a few moments. Franky studied Vivi, trying to guess if she was bluffing, but she held his gaze and hoped he would back down. She saw that flicker of recognition, this man knew not to trust what the world government said. Franky might just be starting to believe her.

Before Franky could give an answer, the door broke open, and standing with his slingshot ready to fight was Usopp.

What was he doing here? He was beaten last time and way too badly hurt. Why was he here alone? Why was he here at all? Where were the others?

“Give me back that money!” Usopp said, “And let my crewmate go!”

The belief in Franky’s eyes immediately vanished and he laughed again. “This is the crew you wanted us to be so afraid of Princess?”

Usopp pulled back his slingshot, “Special attack: exploding star!”

It shot and Franky caught it in his huge fist. Some smoke escaped between his fingers, but the promised explosion never came. “I feel sorry for your Captain, if he only had a weakling like you to protect this prize. Remember this, long-nose boy. My name is Franky. If you want to leave this town alive, do not defy me.”

That huge fist came down on Usopp, knocking him to the ground, and Franky went to leave through the door Usopp had broken open. “You guys do whatever you want with him.”

He left, and the Franky gang descended on Usopp. Vivi looked away as he was beaten down and thrown outside. She couldn’t watch.

Once he was thrown out, the gang started their party. Not one of them seemed the least bit threatened by Vivi anymore. She had got so close, before Usopp blundered in and got in the way. If he just stayed away, he wouldn’t have got hurt again, and she might have talked her way out on her own already.

She tried again, a new tactic on a drunk bruiser. “I’m just saying, 80 million isn’t enough money to ransom someone like me. Get in touch with the Alabasta royal family, they’ll pay you double that at least for my safe return.”

“Ship from Alabasta would take weeks to get here,” the thug slurred, “give ya to the navy and we get paid now.”

That was the exact stalling tactic she was counting on, but it seemed nobody was taking the bait. Had none of these ruffians heard of delayed gratification? Judging by what Franky said about blowing all their money on parties, she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. Then again she couldn’t judge, the Straw Hats were constantly broke too.

The hours dragged on, and the party grew rowdier, and Vivi was stuck in her chair every second of it.

Her thinning patience was rewarded in the end when the hastily repaired door was broken open again, and silhouetted in the light streaming in from outside were her crew. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper and Carue, lined up and ready to take on the Franky family for Vivi.

Vivi couldn’t stop the smile spreading on her face, “I tried to warn you all.”

Luffy cracked his knuckles and menaced the thugs. “Let her go.”

One man pressed a pistol to Vivi’s head. “If you want her alive you should submit yourselves to us. More of you just means more bounty money. The prize is dead or alive, so don’t think I won’t pull the trigger on her.”

The guys were itching to attack, Carue most of all, but they all held position for Vivi’s sake. The princess calmly met her captain’s eyes, silently telling him to trust her. She had a plan. Luffy gave a tiny nod of acknowledgment and let her do it.

The Franky Family hadn’t taken Vivi’s dials, except the tone dial she used earlier. They assumed they were just shells. Wiggling her arms under her ropes, she got a hand into her pockets and retrieved the axe dial, held it up to the leg of the chair she was tied to, and pressed.

The cutting slashes from the axe dial ruined the chair beneath her and Vivi fell on the floor, curling up to absorb the impact. The pistol went off and the bullet whizzed through the air above her head. She saw the panic in her crew’s eyes when they heard the gunshot, and the relief a moment later when they saw she wasn’t hurt. And then all hell broke loose.

Luffy’s fists cracked iron armour, Zoro sliced cannon balls in half. Sanji’s boots and Chopper’s horns and Zoro’s swords and Luffy’s fists tore the Franky Family to pieces.

Vivis bonds went slack with the chair destroyed, so she huddled safe on the floor while Carue weaved through the chaos to reach her. The duck leapt onto the man who had threatened Vivi with a pistol, and Carue scratched and bit him into submission.

“Quack!” Carue declared with the man prone beneath the duck’s feet.

“I’m alright Carue, thanks. Good work,” Vivi climbed in his saddle and joined the fray, charging on the back of her duck and whipping her peacock slicer at any exposed skin and eyes she could reach. The six crewmates didn’t let up the attack for a moment until Franky House was nothing but a pile of broken wood.

As Vivi dismounted Carue, Luffy helped her down. “You ok Vivi? Did they hurt you?”

“Just some bruises, nothing serious,” Vivi said, “but they took the money. My whole half. It’s been spent by now, we’re not getting that back.”

“That’s ok, as long as you’re safe.”

“It’s not ok! We needed that to fix Merry.”

“Vivi,” Luffy held her by the shoulders, “You’re more important than money. And it really doesn’t matter, I have bad news about Merry.”

Chapter Text

Chopper emerged from below deck. “Hey! Usopp’s woken up!”

It had been hours, the sun was setting, and Robin was still missing. One thing at a time, Vivi told herself. She followed her crew into the galley where Usopp was slowly sitting up.

“Vivi you’re alright,” he said with relief when he saw her, “I’m so sorry everyone. It’s because of me we lost all that money and Vivi got kidnapped.”

“I’m alright Usopp,” Vivi promised, “but Luffy says there’s bad news about the Merry.”

The captain had been evasive earlier. He said he would tell Vivi and Usopp at the same time once their sharpshooter woke up.

“Is the money we have left not enough to fix her?” Usopp asked, worried.

“Well, see that’s the thing,” Luffy said as if it was nothing, “I’ve decided to switch ships. We owe a lot to the Going Merry, but this is as far as she’ll sail.”

Vivi’s heart dropped in her chest. This ship had helped save her kingdom. Merry was a second home to her. She wondered for a moment what was going through Usopp’s head. He had a closer bond with the ship than any of them.

Luffy showed off a thin booklet with pictures of ships on the front. “The secretary up there gave us this catalogue. With 200 million we could commission a new ship. A really big one too.”

“Hold on stop joking around,” Usopp’s voice quivered with worry as he tried to deny what was happening. “So, we don’t have enough to repair Merry. These shipwrights must charge a lot.”

“That’s not it. The stolen money has nothing to do with this!”

“Then why are you bringing up this idiotic idea!?”

“The Going Merry can’t be repaired!”

As Luffy finally revealed the truth, silence settled over the crew. Their beloved ship wasn’t just hurt. She was dying.

“What do you mean Merry can’t be repaired?” Vivi demanded.

“She’s too damaged,” Luffy said, “The shipwrights told us nothing can be done to save her.”

Vivi snatched up the catalogue Luffy had and started leafing through the pages.

Galleon design. Three masts. Two cannon decks. Selection of timber types available at varied prices. It’s not the Merry.

Steam paddle ship. Second hand. Coal burning furnace. Three rows of paddles. All parts certified by Galley-La engineers. Slight rust to reinforced iron hull. It’s not the Merry.

Submarine. Exclusive design from North Blue. Fully enclosed steel hull for underwater traversal. Ice breaking capabilities for surfacing in arctic conditions. It’s not the Merry.

Vivi slammed the catalogue back on the table. “None of these is our ship!”

She caught herself for her outburst and saw the pained sympathetic faces of her crew around her. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t shout. I just…”

Nami took her by the shoulders. “It’s ok. Let’s get some fresh air.”

Vivi let herself get led away up onto the deck. She could distantly hear Luffy continuing to talk to Usopp down below. She leaned against the railing and looked out to the sea and the approaching night.

Nami came up behind and hugged her. “You don’t always have to keep it together you know. This is hard for all of us. We’ll get through it together, and you’re allowed to cry if you need to.”

Vivi turned around and buried her face into Nami’s chest to cover a sniffle. Keeping it together was her job. It’s what she always did best. “I do have to, Nami. I should be in there helping right now.”

“When you’re ready.”

“But…”

Vivi was stopped by the sound of raised voices below deck. Luffy and Usopp were arguing. She should be down there stopping this.

Her ears picked up Luffy yelling, “If you don’t like it, you can-”

He was cut off by a loud crash that got both Vivi and Nami’s attention. They went back down below to see Sanji had kicked Luffy to stop him finishing that sentence. Vivi had guess how it ended, and it looked Usopp had too by the hard expression that on his face.

If you don’t like it, you can leave.

Something like that couldn’t be unsaid. It was good Sanji had stopped him, and yet the damage it seemed had already been done.

“So that’s how you really feel,” Usopp said bitterly, “Just get rid of one useless crewmate after another. If you can abandon our ship, you can do the same to me. I can’t keep up with the kind of monstrous powers some of you all have.”

He got up and stalked out on deck and down the gangplank to shore. Nami was the first to follow him, calling “Usopp where are you going?”

The rest of them came up not far behind her.

“It’s my own business where I go,” Usopp doggedly kept up his march away from the crew. “I’m quitting this crew. Sorry to have been such a burden on you.”

Silence settled as they watched him go. But before he vanished away too far, Usopp turned back. The momentary hope he might be changing his mind was snuffed immediately.

“I can’t follow you anymore, but you’re the captain and this ship belongs to you. So, fight me for her!” Usopp challenged Luffy, “If I win, I’m taking the Going Merry! Fight me, Monkey D. Luffy!”

Luffy accepted the challenge, and then wordlessly disappeared below decks. This was the worst outcome Vivi could imagine.

“Nami, go talk sense into Luffy,” Vivi ordered, “I’m going after Usopp. We’re not going to allow this to happen.”

“I can try, I just don’t think…” Nami started to respond but Vivi didn’t stay long enough to listen. She mounted Carue’s saddle and rode out to follow Usopp.

He was out of sight from Merry but not gone far, so Vivi caught up quickly. He was still on the rocky cape outside Water 7’s city walls. When Usopp realised he was being followed he stopped and turned to face her.

“We’re not crewmates anymore Princess,” he said, “go back to your crew.”

“Cut the crap Usopp,” Vivi got off Carue’s back and stood in front of him. “How long have we been friends? How long were you with these guys before that? You’re not really going to abandon that.”

“Luffy abandoned me first,” Usopp said, “He abandoned Merry. And you’re all happy to go along. Doesn’t she mean anything to you?”

“None of us is happy,” Vivi argued, “Usopp we’re all grieving but this isn’t a good way to do it. Right now, you need to be with friends who understand.”

Usopp stayed cold with her. “None of you understand. If you did you wouldn’t be abandoning Merry. Just because she’s not useful anymore. Guess I’m not useful either if I can’t even guard some money.”

“And that makes me what? Another briefcase you lost?” Vivi questioned. She wouldn’t abide him trying to take blame for her mistakes. “We both failed today. But you didn’t see Luffy after, when he was tearing down Franky House to protect me and to avenge you. He didn’t care that we screwed up, because we’re his crew. If he’ll do that for me, then I won’t give up on him because one thing went wrong.”

“He’s not fighting like that for Merry,” Usopp pointed out, “Guess he doesn’t care.”

He kept twisting her words. He was so angry, and he wasn’t listening to her. Vivi sighed and sat on one of the rocks. She patted the spot next to her, but Usopp kept standing.

“This has been a long time coming, we just never saw until it was too late. Merry is dying and nothing can stop it,” Vivi said, “I wish I could have done something. She was wearing thin even back in Alabasta. I could have had her put in a place of honour outside the palace, the ship who saved the kingdom, and she would have somewhere safe and peaceful to rest where we always knew where to find her again. But all we can do now is let her face her end with dignity, and the pride she made it this far on a sea she was never built for. Don’t let her last memory of us be the crew she carried falling apart.”

Usopp listened silently, his expression still hard. “Sounds like you just want to get rid of her even sooner.”

“What?” Vivi stood back up in outrage.

“A place to honour her? Or to forget her? People like you or Luffy, you never look backwards. And isn’t this just what you always complain that nobility is like? Nothing matters, nothing is precious, it’s always replaceable. Even people. Are you going to buy new friends too when you’re bored of Lu-”

Vivi’s palm cracked across Usopp’s face. He stumbled a step back. She dug her fingernails into her palm so hard it bled to stop herself doing anything else.

“You’re such a liar,” she said, “but I’ve never known you to lie to hurt people.”

“I’m not lying this time.”

“Then you’re fooling yourself too.” Vivi knew Usopp’s story from before he met Luffy. She knew who his best friend had been – the heiress whose wealth and privilege had done nothing to soother her grief and loneliness. The one who gave them Merry. Someone who befriended that girl, saw her pain behind the façade of opulence, wouldn’t define Vivi by her titles. He was saying whatever he thought would hurt.

“Fine. Go your own way,” Vivi bitterly spat, “You’re still being stupid. If you want Merry you can have her. Trying to fight Luffy would just be dying for pride.”

“You don’t know what a man’s pride means, Princess. Or what it takes to be a brave warrior of the sea.”

“If it takes this then there’s nothing brave about it. You’re still the coward you’ve always been.”

“Would a coward challenge someone as strong as Luffy?”

“Someone brave wouldn’t cling to grievances so hard he refuses to fix his problems. Goodbye Usopp.”

Vivi took Carue’s reigns and turned to go. The duck let out a quiet strangled quack, wordlessly asking why they were leaving Usopp behind.

“Go on Carue,” Usopp said, “We aren’t friends anymore either.”

Vivi yanked the bridle harder and forcibly turned Carue back to the ship. She hated to hurt him like that. Seeing his wet bird’s eyes just reminded her of the duckling she had raised from birth. But there was no bringing Usopp back and nothing she could do to soothe Carue’s loss.

Back at Merry, a defeated air had settled in. Nami and Chopper looked listlessly out to sea, while Zoro and Sanji shouted at each other trying to assign blame for today’s disaster.

“Both of you shut up!” Vivi yelled at the boys, “We have enough problems already without you two killing each other!”

Zoro and Sanji were both silenced by the force of Vivi’s temper. Next, she came to speak to Nami. “How was Luffy?”

“He won’t listen to me. He just says it’s too late and it’s already been decided,” Nami sighed, “I feel like our crew is falling apart.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Vivi said.

Nami hopefully looked up at her, “Does that mean you brought Usopp back?”

Vivi didn’t answer. She turned on her heel and crossed the deck to stand at the open door down to the cabins.

“LUFFY!” She shouted down.

He stalked up from below, his eyes looking at her in the same dead stony way Usopp’s had. “I already told Nami, it’s too late to change anything.”

Excuses. He was making excuses. She had just gone to argue for him, taken insults on his behalf, and he didn’t care? While she tried to bridge the cracks in their crew, he just sat here and stewed in doomed resignation. All the self-control Vivi had been holding vanished in an instant.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING LUFFY!? In what world would ‘do what I say or leave’ ever help anything!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?”

“It’s already been decided!”

“By who? By you!? Since when are you the kind of Captain who wants to be sole dictator of his crew? Why am I here Luffy?”

“What does that have to do with-”

“WHY. AM. I. HERE!?” Vivi jabbed her finger into Luffy’s chest. “I stayed with this crew to help YOU! But I can’t help you solve problems unless you tell me about them! You know Usopp cares more about Merry than any of us! We could have prepared for this! If we prepared for this and thought about how to tell him first-”

“You just tried it your way and it didn’t work either!” Luffy snapped back at her.

Vivi matched the coldness she’d been treated with. “I’ll tell you again what I told you back in the drum kingdom. You’re a failure of a captain, Luffy. You’ll never make it on the Grand Line if you try to take every challenge head on, especially when that challenge comes from within your own crew. Usopp may be wrong about this, but if you keep bringing the same attitude to disagreements with your crew, he won’t be the last person to leave you.”

Vivi turned and stalked away, and behind her she hears Luffy returning below decks. The captain wasn’t listening. Usopp wasn’t listening. Everything was going wrong and only Vivi was trying to fix it, and nobody would let her.

She stopped at the front of the ship. Standing beside Merry’s figurehead she softly touched the carved wooden sheep’s horn. The rest of the crew still on the ship gathered beside her. They had been watching every moment of her terse exchange with Luffy.

“What do you all think of this?” Vivi asked the crew, “I know we’d all trust Luffy with our lives after the things he’s done for us, but everything in me says letting this happen would be wrong. And we’ve seen today that’s it’s possible for that trust to turn sour. I have an idea to make him change course, but if it doesn’t work then I’ll just be making things worse. I want to know I’m doing right by the crew and not risking everything for my own selfish want.”

Nami gave her a smile. “Vivi, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you selfish in your life.”

“I was once,” Vivi said, “When I decided to stay with you.”

“And you’ll always have me,” Nami promised.

Sanji affirmed the same sentiment. “After seeing you make such impassioned arguments on our behalf, how could we not stand by our princess?”

Chopper was more hesitant. “But Luffy is the captain, isn’t he?”

“There’s more to being Captain than the name,” Zoro said, “We’re a crisis point, and this crew needs someone we can have faith in. If you feel conviction behind a path forward, Vivi, don’t second guess yourself or look for approval. Do it.”

Do it. Take the responsibility. If she wanted to take charge then take charge, don’t wait for it to be given to her. Their swordsman always had the sharpness to cut through indecision. He was right. Vivi had to do something.

When dusk had finally turned to night, Usopp appeared just off the ship again. Luffy went down to shore to meet him. The rest of the crew stayed aboard to watch the tragedy unfold.

“So, you didn’t lose your nerve,” Luffy said as he approached, “No matter what happens don’t regret it. You chose this fight.”

“Go ahead and try to kill me,” Usopp pulled back his slingshot, “But don’t lump me in with the other enemies you’ve faced. I know your tricks. I’ll beat you at your own game.”

They both moved to fight, and that’s when Vivi put her plan in place. From the deck of the Merry she was perfectly placed facing into the gap between the two fighters. She kept two dials at the ready – two of the most exotic kinds which the Kami’s vassals had used.

First one, “trial of iron,” then the other, “trial of strings.”

Neither of them saw it coming. A line of barbed spiky iron cloud flew out in front of Luffy and embedded in the ground, pulling taut with the other end in Vivi’s hand and forming a barrier in front of him. Luffy hardly caught it in time and hopped backwards shaking out his hand where his fist had collided with the barbs and lacerated his fingers. The string cloud from the dial in Vivi’s other hand wrapped around Usopp, immobilising him and sweeping him to the ground.

Now she had their attention, Vivi cut loose the dials to detach the iron and string from herself, and then vaulted over the rail and onto the rocky cape. “Shame on the both of you. All this arguing over how we feel about Merry, how do you think she feels about us now? After everything she went through to carry us here, you’re going to make her last memory of us be watching the crew she cared for tear itself apart.”

Vivi looked down derisively at where Usopp was tied in strings. “We don’t need a crewmate who turns on us when things go against what he wants.”

Then she turned her gaze to Luffy, stunned into stillness as he listened to her. “And we don’t need a captain who won’t listen to his crew. If you two are so caught up in fighting each other that you can’t see what this is doing to the rest of us, or if you just don’t care, then we’re better off without either of you.”

With that Vivi turned and left, walking a straight line towards the city. She wanted so desperately to look back. To see if anyone followed. To see if Luffy was finally understanding what she was trying to tell him. But she remembered what Zoro told her, and she kept herself facing forward. Believe in herself, completely, and make them believe in her.

Behind her she heard the sound of footfalls. The crew was with her. That was some relief at least. As she led them through Water 7, Vivi was glad to be at the front of the procession. She had to be their strength now. Standing out in front made it easier to hide how much she wanted to cry.

***

Luffy watched as Vivi left him, as his crew left him. He felt paralysed, unable to move or speak as all the people he loved disappeared into the night. All but one. Nami, following at the rear of the group, stopped and looked back.

“Nami,” Luffy asked, “Am I a bad captain?”

“Luffy, I know you love this crew,” Nami said, “none of us doubt that, not even Vivi. Now that she’s a wanted criminal and can’t return home, we’re all she has. She couldn’t sit by and watch her new family tear itself apart. She just needs to know you’re listening.”

“I am! Of course I am.” The memory suddenly came back to Luffy. The sight of Vivi dangled over the palace walls by Crocodile, the panic in her eyes as he let go and she fell. The moment Luffy caught her, the whole kingdom seemed deaf to her cries, but he promised that he could still hear her voice. In her darkest moment, Vivi put her trust in Luffy, and today he let her down.

“Then come with us,” Nami offered him a hand, “talk to her.”

Luffy took Nami’s hand. Before they went, they untied Usopp from the string clouds. Luffy had almost forgotten they were supposed to fight.

“Fight’s off Usopp, we both lose,” Luffy said. Seeing the anger in his eyes, it seemed Usopp was still unwilling to budge, so Luffy added, “Merry’s all yours.”

Luffy and Nami silently left him there.

“This is too much, Nami,” Luffy said. He had been so caught up in so many problems. Usopp and Merry and Robin. He hadn’t even seen how Vivi was at her breaking point. “It’s too much.”

Nami squeezed his hand in reassurance. “Just because you’re the captain doesn’t mean you have to carry everything alone.”

***

After securing the crew a place to stay, Vivi still felt restless. She left the others in their rooms at the local inn and climbed up to the roof. The sight of stars above and the sound of distant waves helped calm her agitated mind.

She was soon disturbed by the rooftop door opening again. Zoro came and stood next to where she sat. “Not sleeping?”

“Like you can judge, Mr. Bushido. You’re up here too.”

“You know exactly why I stay up through the night. And you didn’t answer me.”

Vivi and every Baroque Works agent on Whiskey Peak had discovered the pirate hunter’s nocturnal habits the hard way. She was lucky to be alive after that. But despite how close he came to killing her, she had come to respect his steadfast strength. It was something Vivi sorely wished to have at a time when so many things tore her apart.

“You said earlier that I can’t second guess myself down this path,” Vivi said, “but it’s hard not to right now. Did I just kick the captain off his own crew? It’s too much. Robin and Usopp and Luffy and Merry. It’s too much to carry all at once.”

“That’s the burden of leadership,” Zoro said, “If it can’t be Luffy, then as his second it falls to you.”

“This responsibility might be too heavy for any one person to carry.”

“Someone must. Or else it’ll be the end of the crew.”

They heard the rooftop door opening again and looked back to see Nami leading Luffy up the stairs.

“I think you two need to talk,” the navigator said. Then she took Zoro and left, leaving Vivi and Luffy alone on the roof.

Luffy sat over the ledge next to Vivi. They silently experienced the tranquil atmosphere of the night. The cool salty breeze chilled the fiery emotions that had been driving them.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Vivi said. Whatever else was going wrong, she should have at least kept control of herself.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen sooner,” Luffy replied.

Vivi took a deep breath. This time her captain was open and receptive, and she was calmer. She tried again to explain what she had screamed at him over. “Luffy, everyone on our crew joined because they have a dream to achieve. The pirate king, the greatest swordsman, the all-blue, a map of the world. Mine was to keep Alabasta safe, and we’ve already achieved what I set out to do. I could’ve stayed and enjoyed the safety I secured, but I ventured back to sea again.”

“But you stayed for me,” Luffy gathered. He had been hearing at least some of what she said earlier.

“I stayed to help you,” Vivi confirmed, “Because I love you. Because I love our crew. If that all falls to pieces, then everything I gave up so I could be here was for nothing.”

Luffy took that in silently. Then in return he explained himself too. “As captain it was my job to carry the weight of our crew’s problem. I didn’t want any of you suffering under that responsibility because I couldn’t take it.”

“That was kind of you Luffy, but it wasn’t the right choice for all of us,” Vivi said, “By forcing you out the way I did today, all of that weight would have been on me next, and I don’t think I could have taken it alone.”

“Just like I couldn’t,” Luffy agreed.

“I didn’t ask to be First Mate just for a fancy title Luffy,” Vivi said, “We’re both leading this crew. We can take that weight together. Promise you won’t take on everything alone again?”

“I won’t,” Luffy promised. “Are we ok again?”

Vivi nodded, “We’re ok.”

He raised a fist for her, and she softly bumped her own against it. They continued looking out into the dark sky. Vivi was tired, but sleep wasn’t going to find her tonight. She guessed Luffy felt the same as he stayed next to her. The night ahead was daunting, but they would find a way. Stay true to their crew, stay true to each other, and they would overcome whatever came.

Vivi must’ve drifted off without realising, because next thing she knew she was being lightly shaken awake by Luffy. She felt the warmth where her head had rested on his shoulder. It felt like safety. But she lifted her head and blinked herself awake.

“Look.” Luffy pointed out at the horizon.

Vivi saw just in time as the sun began to appear above the distant sea. Every day brought the same sun, yet every sunrise felt different. A new dawn, above a new horizon, promising new possibilities. For all the unbelievable things she had found out on the oceans, this was the most beautiful sight Vivi had ever seen.

Chapter Text

Having left Luffy and Vivi together on the roof, Nami and Zoro went back down to the shared room with the rest of their crew. Chopper and Carue were asleep, but Sanji had stayed up for them.

“How are they?” Sanji asked.

“Healing,” Nami said hopefully.

“Battered,” Zoro added seriously, “I haven’t seen the Princess that agitated since…”

Sanji finished for him. “…since the last time she and Luffy fought.”

Nami had been trying to be optimistic, but she had to admit the guys had a point. “When they argued in Yuba, Vivi was on edge, but Luffy was the clear head for her sake. That’s what they do for each other. This time they’re both lost. I’ve never seen Luffy like he was today.”

“Then they’d better pull themselves together,” Zoro warned, “this isn’t over yet.”

***

The morning came with concerning news. Iceberg from the ship building company has been shot in his home overnight. The papers said he was alive, but in a coma, and the culprit was unknown. Considering they still needed Galley-La’s help with a new ship, this was definitely something to look into. Luffy decided to check things out and Nami went with him.

On the long ride there, Nami carefully broached with her captain, “About what Vivi did last night… please don’t be mad at her. You remember the last time you two argued?”

“Back in Yuba, yeah.”

“She was afraid she was going to lose her home and her family and everyone she loved. In a way she did lose Alabasta in the end – now that she’s wanted by the world government she can’t ever go back. Now her new home and her new family, us, we were breaking apart and…”

“And she let loose everything she had been bottling up. Again,” Luffy finished, “I’m not mad at her. I’m not even mad at Usopp. This is all just hard.”

“It is.”

“You care a lot about Vivi huh?”

Nami’s face took on the tiniest red tinge, “How many women do you know who pretended to work for a pirate she hated to carry the lives of everyone she loves on her shoulders alone. I can’t help wanting to look out for her.”

***

The crew had another issue to tackle beside the situation with the ship builders. Robin was still missing, with no explanation of where or how or why. So Vivi, Sanji, Chopper and Carue decided to explore the city and see if she could be found.

The winds coming in from the sea were picking up, and some of the locals warned them that Aqua Laguna was coming. A high tide event that covered the lower tiers of the city once a year.

That was going to have to move up the timetable, but they still had hours before the storm was supposed to hit after dark.

Chopper and Sanji felt a need to warn Usopp about the storm. Even having quit the crew, they still worried about him. A very loud staged discussion near the cape would make sure they were overheard. And once that was done the search could resume.

They started where Chopper last saw Robin, just outside a bookstore in one of the market canal-streets.

“It’s not likely she’d still be here, but if I were trying to disappear in a place like this…” Vivi mused while examining a map of the city. She pointed at a spot. “There’s an abandoned part of the city not too far away.”

As she put away the map, a newsboy ran past shouting headlines. “Special Edition: Pirate crew responsible for attempted murder of Mayor Iceberg!”

Vivi approached the boy to ask for a copy of the paper, but as soon as he sighted her face he shrieked in fear and ran away, dropping his papers on the ground behind him. Vivi picked one up. On the front were printed the photos from their four bounty posters – Luffy. Zoro, Robin and Vivi – and an article accusing Robin of shooting the mayor. She had attacked him, and by her association she was framing the Straw Hat crew.

Surely she couldn’t! But then, Robin was always the enigma, the assassin, the secretive one who always stayed a step apart from the crew. The remorse, the growing friendship, the better nature in Robin that had started to show, every moment in the weeks since they left Alabasta had been a lie. Biding time for this. Vivi had risked her life for Robin, begun to fear the thought of losing her, all for her to turn on them.

All of Vivi’s nightmares that had kept her awake since they allowed Robin to join; the enemy, the assassin, the saboteur; all those fears came true at once. Miss All Sunday was still the villain she always was. They should never have let her join.

Vivi’s teeth and hands clenched. Her fingers started involuntarily crumpling the paper around the edges. Sensing something was wrong, the others came to join her, and Sanji put a hand on her shoulder as he looked over and read the same headline.

“It could be a lie,” he suggested.

Realising their presence, Vivi stepped away.

“Knowing who she works for, does that really seem likely? But we still need to find her. Stop her.” Vivi looked around and realised people on the street were starting to stare her way. “I’m putting you all in danger.”

“I’ll keep you safe no matter what,” Sanji swore.

“No,” she rebuked, “you three keep searching. They’re only after me, the rest of you don’t have photos. You won’t be recognised. I can evade them by myself.”

She was glad to have worn the jet dial boots she acquired back in Skypiea. One dial enhanced leap took her two stories up the nearest building, and the next burst almost to the roof, where she clung to the gutter and clambered up. Better to stay up here and out of sight. She needed to find and warn the others.

***

“You did well yesterday,” the man in the shadows said, “although you and your former crew are now wanted all across this island.”

“I suppose that works to your advantage doesn’t it,” Robin replied.

“For now, but the important part is tonight. If we still have your cooperation.”

“As long as you honour your promise, then so will I.”

There was a cold menace in the government agent’s eyes that made Robin’s skin crawl. “There are two Straw Hat crew members of interest to Cipher Pol 9. It’s a shame to leave with only one. But as you say, so long as you remain cooperative Nico Robin, we won’t lay a hand on your Princess or her friends.”

“Good. She’s suffered enough because of me.” After a lifetime of bringing nothing but ruin, at least Robin could do this before the end.

***

In the empty district Vivi had sent them to search, there she was. Like she was waiting to be found. Robin. Sanji, Chopper and Carue saw her across a wide canal, watching them coldly. They greeted her with excitement, called on her to come back, asked what had happened, but she rebuked all of that.

“I won’t be going back to the crew,” she said, in sombre tone with her expression inscrutable, “this is where we part ways.”

“Robin, what are you saying?” Chopper asked.

“Oh, I get it. It must be about the newspaper,” Sanji guessed, “None of us believe that Robin!”

“Quack!” Carue quacked.

“I’m sorry you were unjustly linked to that business,” Robin said, “but there were no lies about me in that article. I was the one who entered the mayor’s house last night. There is a darkness in me that you and the crew do not know. A darkness that will someday destroy you.”

“Robin, I don’t understand,” Sanji pleaded, “What’s going on?”

Robin’s reply gave few answers. “We haven’t known each other long but after today we’ll never meet again. Please give my message to the others for me. I didn’t deserve it but thank you for the kindness you showed me. And tell our princess I’m sorry I couldn’t be the person she hoped I was. Goodbye.”

She turned and vanished into the winding alleys behind her. Sanji jumped in the canal to swim across and follow her, but by the time he reached the far side, Robin was long gone.

***

The six of them regrouped in a rooftop. Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Chopper, Vivi and Carue. They filled each other in on what happened to them. Luffy had fought Franky, who was out for revenge for his destroyed house, and then been attacked by the shipwrights. He had heard directly from Iceberg that Robin was the assassin. Chopper filled in what Robin said when he and Sanji met her, and how Sanji had gone off on his own somewhere.

“I can’t believe Robin really said all that,” Luffy said.

Vivi paced the edges of the roof like a caged tiger, the news just agitating her all over again. “The only part I can’t believe is that she’s sorry. This is exactly what Miss All Sunday would do. We should’ve known this would happen. We should never have trusted her.”

“Vivi!” Nami seemed more shocked by the princess’s outburst than Robin’s betrayal, “I thought you two were finally becoming friends. You’re going to give up on her that easily? We know there are better sides of her.”

“Do we?” Vivi asked, “Or was all that another lie?”

“No way!” Luffy argued, “No way she was an enemy all this time!”

Before Vivi could argue back, Zoro got up and tapped one of his swords on the ground between them, the clack of metal on stone drawing both Luffy and Vivi’s attention. “You two have butted heads enough already. If Robin said she’ll never meet us again after today, that means tonight she’s going to do something which makes things even worse. With the uproar over a failed attempt on the mayor’s life, there’s only one way to do that.”

Nami picked up what he was getting at. “To actually kill the mayor this time.”

“It could be a trap to lure us there,” Zoro pointed out, “If we’re seen, it’ll be much easier to pin the crime on us.”

Nami shook her head. “You sound like you’re assuming she’s an enemy.”

Vivi dared venture to speak again. “Why shouldn’t we? She even admitted it. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

“No, there are still holes in that too,” Nami argued, “What about the man in the mask? Sanji said he saw someone in a mask with Robin, and Iceberg told us the same. Whoever that is might be behind the sudden change in Robin.”

Chopper perked up at the suggestion. “You think that person is making Robin do something bad!?”

“That quite an assumption,” Vivi said, “It’s not proof. Who could blackmail Miss All Sunday? What with? That doesn’t make sense. What if this person is her ally? What if Baroque Works was a bigger organisation than I ever suspected, and she’s connected with another cell with contingency plans to enact after Crocodile’s defeat?”

“Vivi, that anger…” Nami trailed off, “You’re assuming the worst because of her history. I understand, I haven’t forgotten what she did either, but… just don’t let that dark side get out of control. We’re not sure of anything.”

“You’re both only guessing,” Zoro tapped his sword and stopped them again, “What Nami thinks is the best-case scenario. What Vivi thinks is the worst case. If we think one thing and get proven wrong, we won’t be prepared.”

Luffy finally made his decision. “I want to hear it from Robin first. We go.”

Chapter Text

The Straw Hats found a tree that allowed them to have a clear view of Iceberg's manor grounds, while staying unseen by the guards. The only concern was the distance – except for Luffy, who could leap directly in with his rubber-enhanced jump, it would take about a minute to reach the manor once they started running. For now, they watched, waiting for something to occur.

The wind was turning to a howling gale. It would be dark soon, and then Aqua Laguna would be upon them.

Their signal came soon enough. An explosion in the yard. A shadowy figure leapt into the commotion trailing a thorny whip and cutting down guardsmen like wheat stalks before vanishing inside.

“Time for us to go in right Lu…” Vivi glanced to where their captain had been sitting to find the spot empty. “He’s already gone!”

The crew clambered down and sprinted to follow.

“Damn it, why is he always like this?” Nami complained, “At least maybe if he’s already in the middle of things then the guards might have thinned out fighting him.”

They reached the manor and vaulted the fence into the yard, where they found dozens of armed men waiting for them. Nothing about this looked thinned out. Where the hell had their captain gone?

“So much for not incriminating ourselves,” Vivi said.

“Too late for that now.” Zoro drew his swords. “We’re going to charge through the front and look for Robin.”

“Careful, these guys aren’t our enemies.”

“I’ll use the backs of my swords.”

He made short work of the resistance and everyone else ran to follow. The guards he took down looked in bad shape, but they might live… probably… sword backs turned out not to be much safer than the blades when you hit as hard as someone like Zoro.

With the courtyard clear of resistance, next was to head into the manor. They would be going for Iceberg, top floor bedroom, so the crew would go that way too.

“Up the stairs Mr. Bushido,” Vivi instructed.

“Right.” Zoro turned and ran back towards the front gate.

“Wrong way!”

Wrangling their swordsman back on course, they ran for the upper floor and cut through the stately wooden doors. As they rushed in, Luffy burst through the next wall at the same time. At least he found his way somehow. Through the broken hole behind him came another of the shipwrights, the one with the ropes, Paulie.

Within the room was the secret enemy they had looked for, their masks now cast aside. Two of those shipwrights they met, Lucci and Kaku, plus the secretary Kalifa, and one more who Vivi didn’t recognise – a big man with hair that jutted up like bull’s horns. And with them, face shrouded in a low hood, was Nico Robin.

Mayor Iceberg lay in the floor surrounded by his assailants, injured but alive.

“Robin!” Luffy called, “We finally found you!”

She stayed impassive to his attempts to get her attention and refused to respond.

Meanwhile Paulie hurled a stunned accusation at the assassins. “Kalifa! Blueno! Kaku! Lucci! Is this some kind of sick joke!?”

The bullhorn one must be Blueno, Vivi thought, that was the only one she didn’t recognise.

“The truth is Paulie,” Lucci said, speaking without the aid of the pigeon that had spoken for him before, “we work for government intelligence. This must be hard to believe so how about I smash in Iceberg’s face to prove it?”

Paulie made an enraged swing of his ropes, but Lucci moved like a blur, closing in and… “Finger Pistol.”

His index finger buried itself up to the knuckles in Paulie’s chest, leaving behind a bleeding hole like a bullet wound. Paulie staggered and fell to his knees, and Lucci raised his hand for the killing blow, before Luffy got in the way. Lucci’s body took the Gatling punches as if he was made of iron. The captain took the next finger pistol instead, straight to the throat, not piercing his rubber skin but still dropping him winded to the floor.

“You’re lucky, rubber man,” Rob Lucci said, “If you were normal, you would have a hole in your neck.”

How strong did this guy have to be if he was bringing down Luffy that easily? Luffy climbed back to his feet and ignored the enemy, shouting past them to their lost and traitorous crewmate. “Robin! Why are you with these guys? If you want to leave us, then tell us why!”

Through all the action since bursting into this room, Vivi’s eyes had never left Robin. Watching for any sign behind her cold expression of what her real motive was. That hard set neutrality didn’t crack in the slightest as she answered Luffy.

“You people don’t listen very well do you. I told the cook and the doctor and the duck I was leaving. Didn’t they tell you? I have a wish that can’t be fulfilled if I stay with you. To accomplish my goal, I’ll make any sacrifice.” Robin met Vivi’s eyes, signalling something beyond her words. “Cipher Pol 9 understood that when they approached me.”

CP9? Vivi had heard the rumours, but she never thought they could be real. Cipher Pol 1 through 8 were real enough, intelligence agencies for the world government. Number 9 was the government’s personal assassins. Utterly ruthless killers. Masters of the Six Powers – techniques seen sometimes among the high-ranking naval officers that made them deadly warriors. They were supposed to be a myth. Robin was counting on Vivi recognising the name. She was telling her not to fight them, that the crew should never have come, that this was a losing battle.

What was it Zoro said earlier? About being surprised by an outcome they didn’t anticipate. They could have never prepared for this.

“Any sacrifice?” Vivi felt the fire rising in her chest, heard the blood pounding in her ears. She wanted to tear into her right then. But like Luffy said, they had to hear it from Robin’s lips first. “Even turning on us? Becoming our enemy again?”

“If that’s what it takes.” There it was. Directly from Robin. She was against them now. The pressure inside Vivi burst.

“You TRAITOR!!!”

Vivi shrieked at Robin and rushed ahead. Even CP9 were shocked at her reckless charge. The agents’ first instincts were to protect themselves, but Vivi wasn’t going for any of them, and that split second let her twist between Kaku and Kalifa and tackle Robin out of the window. The stained glass shattered and the whole iron frame ripped free of the hinges, and Vivi and Robin plummeted two storeys into the muddy grass of the manor grounds below. Vivi was the first back to her feet.

“You lying SNAKE!” The princess knocked Robin back to the ground and pinned her there, furiously screaming in her face, “You never changed! I shouldn’t EVER have trusted you! I HATE YOU!!!”

The brewing storm had turned into a torrential downpour, drenching the both of them the moment they were outside.

Vivi held Robin to the ground, gripping her by the collar with one hand, the other raised and curled in a fist, but she couldn’t make herself bring it down.

Where was the smug self-satisfaction that Miss All Sunday had shown while taunting Vivi at Whiskey Peak? Where was the retaliation of the deadly assassin’s instincts? With her powers, she could have sprouted arms out of the grass or the nearest wall and forced Vivi off. No, she could have killed Vivi before they had even hit the ground. But she wasn’t doing anything. Robin’s cold expressionless mask cracked ever so slightly, and in her eyes all Vivi could see was fear and hurt and grief.

A sob escaped Vivi unbidden. She tried to keep her anger stoked as it was doused by the rain and her welling sense of loss. “Why aren’t you doing anything? Why aren’t you fighting back?”

“I never wanted to hurt you, Princess,” Robin softly whispered her reply, her voice almost snatched away by the howling wind.

“If you didn’t want that, why are you doing this?” Vivi didn’t know what to think. Every sign told her Robin was an enemy, but why would she just sit here and take this?

From out of the dark behind her, a heavy hand picked up Vivi by the back of the neck and lifted her off Robin. The CP9 agent Blueno held her in the air and regarded her with chilling malice. Robin got back to her feet and placed a restraining hand on his arm. “Leave her.”

“The government wants her caught.”

“That’s not what we agreed to. Leave her or the deal’s off.”

Blueno glared at Robin, and seemed for a moment like he would ignore her, but then he dropped Vivi on the ground. Behind him the manor exploded, guttering orange flames bursting out of every window. Robin vanished into the dark with CP9, and all Vivi was left to do was curl up on the sodden ground and weep.

Chapter Text

Nami’s consciousness was hazy but from where she lay on the wet grass she could see the orange glow through half squinted eyes. The manor burned out of control. Even with all the hoses they could find, and torrential rain overhead, the men of the Galley La couldn’t put it out. It seemed hopeless that the mayor could survive that blaze until, Crash, out of a top floor window came Chopper and Carue, each carrying a survivor on their back, that the men quickly realised were Iceberg and Paulie. Both animals were badly burned, along with the survivors they carried.

“They saved Mayor Iceberg and the foreman…” one of the onlookers realised, “Hurry, we need to treat those injuries.”

Nami counted herself lucky to still be here at least. Luffy and Zoro had been thrown so far, they must have landed somewhere on the city’s lower tiers. The men here regarded her with suspicion, but it was becoming clear the Straw Hat crew had saved Iceberg’s life, so for now nobody was moving to capture her.

When Iceberg came to, he wanted to talk to her.

“To begin with, I’m sorry. I pinned a false accusation on your crew and I’ll right that wrong shortly,” Iceberg began, “I want to talk about Nico Robin. Did she start acting strangely when you came to this island?”

“Yes, right after we got here, she disappeared,” Nami answered, “and then this morning we heard she was behind the attempt on your life. We didn’t understand, so tonight we came here to find her and ask her why. What wish can’t be fulfilled because she’s with us?”

Iceberg listened seriously, and then began to explain. “Let me tell you what I know. There is a reason behind her actions of course, but bear in mind as you listen that both Nico Robin and I have the means to awaken an ancient weapon that could destroy the world.”

***

“There’s been a hitch in the operation. All members report to Iceberg’s room at once. Whatever you do, don’t kill him yet.”

The voice came from the mini transponder that Robin carried. Both she and Iceberg heard, from where she held him at gunpoint, restrained by a dozen of her arms. His other would-be assassins would be back soon. They must have just discovered his ploy.

“The blueprints you people are after. They’re fake,” Iceberg struggled to speak through the bullet wounds he had already suffered, “even if it kills me, I won’t hand those blueprints to the government. But at the same time, if you’re snooping after the poneglyphs and helping the government, then you need to be stopped.”

“I’m not searching out poneglyphs to activate a weapon,” Robin replied, “I just want to know the history.”

“You don’t need evil intentions to hurt people,” Iceberg argued back, “Your desire to know history could cause the destruction of the world. You saw the fate of the demons of Ohara and you still-”

“What do you know about Ohara!?” Robin snapped, “You have no idea how much the world government has warped my life.”

“If you hate the government so much, why are you helping them?”

“Because there’s a wish I want to fulfil, even if it means throwing everything else away…” Robin released a sad sigh and her summoned limbs vanished, freeing Iceberg from his restraint. “When CP9 found me, I learned they had two targets on the Straw Hat crew that they were hunting. The first target was me, for my ability to read the poneglyphs. But the second was Nefertari Vivi.”

Robin said the princess’s name like a protective mother learning her own child was in peril. “Maybe they want her because she too has a connection to the poneglyphs and the ancient weapons, like you and I do, but that was the most closely guarded Nefertari secret, and I don’t understand how CP9 would know. Or maybe the world government simply can’t abide the heir to a member kingdom living in rebellion as a pirate. Whatever the reason, CP9 has been given authority to order a Buster Call against the crew in order to secure myself and Vivi. Normally only an admiral could do so, but Aokiji gave them the authorisation. The most destructive order the navy can issue. The same one that destroyed Ohara. I’ve survived the last 20 years because I had nothing to protect, I could always run and leave anything behind, but that’s not an option anymore. So instead, I made a deal with them, to see a wish of mine fulfilled.”

Iceberg was beginning to understand just what this woman had traded away the safety of the entire world for, but even so asked, “What wish?”

“I agreed to help CP9 with whatever goal they had been undercover here for, and when that was done, I would submit myself to be taken for the government’s judgment and I wouldn’t resist. In return the other eight members of the Straw Hat crew would sail from this island unharmed, and CP9 would not touch the Nefertari Princess.”

“And in return you’ll awaken a weapon threatens everyone,” Iceberg accused, “Don’t you care what happens to the world?”

“I don’t.”

***

“And that means Robin didn’t really betray us!” Nami told Vivi, “It’s such a relief, isn’t it? We just need to find Luffy and Zoro and then nothing can stop us from saving her!”

Nami had found the princess curled on the ground behind the burning manor and roused her, telling Vivi everything she heard from Iceberg.

“Then…” a look of horror dawned on Vivi’s face, “Then she did all this to protect us?”

“To protect you most of all, Vivi. She’s still one of us.”

“No,” Vivi leapt to her feet, fingers tearing at her hair as she strode frantically up and down the yard. “Nonononononononono.”

“What’s wrong?” Nami asked.

Vivi’s breaths came shorter and sharper as an anxious panic seized her by the throat. “Nami… The things I said to her… My fault… I’m sorry… She’ll never come back to us now… My fault… I have to… Where?”

Nami took Vivi by the shoulders and steadied her. “Breathe, Vivi. Whatever it is, we’ll fix it.”

Vivi shook her head. “I have to fix it. It has to be me.”

Iceberg, who was still listening nearby, spoke up. “If you’re looking to go after her, the last sea train departure tonight is at 11 o’clock. It’s a government line, direct to Enies Lobby. After that the service stops until Aqua Laguna passes.”

Vivi knew that place. Near everyone had heard of the Gates of Justice. Enies Lobby was the government’s sentencing island. There was said to be a courthouse there, but no judge or jury, which led out on the far side to the Gates of Justice. Beyond them was an ocean current that led to only two places, navy headquarters or the maximum-security prison Impel Down. If Robin passed through those gates she would never ever return.

“Eleven? That’s only minutes away!” Vivi ran over to Carue and hoisted herself up in the saddle. “Nami! Chopper! Go find Luffy and Zoro and follow as soon as possible! Carue, top speed, we have a train to catch!”

***

Nico Robin let the CP9 woman Kalifa push her into a train seat.

“Still not going to resist?” the agent tauntingly asked her, “You know your life will be over when you reach Enies Lobby right?”

Robin was barely paying attention, distracted as she remembered the look of total, all-consuming hatred in Vivi’s eyes when she tackled Robin through the window. “My life ended a while ago.”

The crew she had come to care for would remember her as a lying traitorous snake and curse her name forever. But at least they would live. Robin could do that one good thing, protect that one light, in the last moment of her life of darkness. It was worth it.

***

Carue’s fastest environments were wide open terrains. The city restricted him with navigating sharp turns and narrow alleys and leaping over canals. The wind thundered in Vivi’s ears as she pushed him as hard as she dared to.

As Carue approached the station they heard the loud hiss of a train whistle and the steam engine starting to chug. Vivi leapt off Carue’s back and sprinted through the station to the platform just in time to see the back of the train as it pulled away. On the back of the last car, she saw her crew’s blond curly-eyebrowed chef. What was Sanji doing here? His eyes widened as the car passed Vivi and he saw her, wondering the same thing.

No time to think, just move. Vivi ran the last distance and leapt off the platform, the jet dials in her boots pushing her faster and further through the air. For a moment it seemed like she would fall short, but just as she Vivi began to dip towards the ocean, Sanji grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled her up beside him.

Vivi collapsed into him. “All my fault… it’s all my fault…”

“What is?” Sanji asked her with concern, “Vivi, what happened?”

***

Carue was left by himself on the train platform, staring at out at the roiling sea as Aqua Laguna closed in, a black monster wave growing on the horizon and rolling closer. He had gotten Vivi here just in time, but he couldn’t rest yet. There was more the duck could do to help.

Looking around the station, he realised there was writing on the far wall. Written in big red letters that nobody could ever miss and surrounded by painted hearts. In their hurry, neither he nor Vivi had even looked that direction until now. It read, NAMI OR VIVI!!! READ THIS!!! Below in smaller letters was the message, If you’re not Nami or Vivi don’t read it, idiot! Must have been Sanji.

Carue found the folded-up letter left below the graffiti and picked it up in his bill. Nami would be somewhere in the upper tiers. He had to find her and deliver the message. He ran all the way back he had come and found the navigator on a parapet wall looking out over the city and scrutinising the gap between some buildings in the distance. He frantically ran up her and waved the letter he was carrying.

“Carue?” Nami took the letter from him, “What’s this? Where’s Vivi?”

“Quack!”

“She’s on the sea train!?” Nami tore open the letter, “Looks like Sanji is on there too, good, at least Vivi has someone looking out for her. This first half is mostly a pointless a love letter… aha, the real part starts here. He saw Robin boarding and stowed away. They also had Usopp and a ‘gigantic thug with a pompadour,’ that sounds like Franky. What does CP9 want with him? And there’s a mini transponder snail enclosed in the letter. He’ll be in touch soon.”

“Quack?” Carue asked.

“You did a good job Carue. We’ll catch up to them soon, don’t worry,” Nami said, “I think I’ve found where Luffy landed.”

***

Standing on the back landing of the last car of the sea train, Vivi filled in Sanji on everything that had happened at the mansion.

“I was so awful. Robin must think I hate her,” Vivi lamented, “I’ve been doing everything wrong since we came here. I lost my temper at Usopp, and then I tried to force you all to pick between me and Luffy, and now I treated Robin as an enemy while she tried to save us. All our problems here are my fault. I’ve ruined everything.”

Sanji put a comforting arm around Vivi’s shoulders. “None of this is your fault Vivi.”

“Isn’t it?” she hopelessly asked between sniffles, “I keep doing things wrong. I keep making things worse. I’m supposed to keep us together and instead I’m… I’m…”

“Do you know what your problem is?” Sanji gently broached, “You still think like a queen and not like a captain. Monarchs see their kingdom as a realm totally under control. The worst ones especially, but the well-intentioned ones too. They want something to happen, they can give the order, and it happens, whether that thing is peace and prosperity for all or total submission and subservience.”

“You sound like you’re saying that from experience,” Vivi said.

“I am Mr. Prince remember,” Sanji jokingly brushed it off, “When you think about things that way, then whenever anything doesn’t go exactly to plan you see it as a failure. If you can’t save every life in Alabasta. If your ship can’t sail any further. If your friends are fighting and won’t listen to your advice. If another friend decides to sacrifice herself for your sake. None of those are your fault Vivi. Usopp’s feelings had been building for a long time, and from the sound of that story I think we would have always had to confront Robin’s history with the government somehow.”

“I suppose…” Something in Vivi still told she should have seen these things sooner, and responded to them better, “but I still made mistakes. I still made all those problems worse.”

“So what?” Sanji challenged her, “None of the that is too late to fix. So, who am I talking to right now? Princess Vivi, who loses her mind to worry more and more with each setback? Or Pirate Vivi, who leaps out to sea and risks everything for the sake of her crewmates?”

Vivi couldn’t deny what he was saying, so with new resolve she pulled Sanji into a hug. “You’re talking to Pirate Vivi. Thanks for believing that side of me was still there. Robin doesn't get to sacrifice just herself. We'll all put our lives on the line together. That's what we do for each other. Let's go rescue her.”

A grin grew on Sanji’s face as he realised that she was recalling what Luffy had told her back in Alabasta. “Now that’s our Vivi.”

Their moment was interrupted when the back door of the train car opened. The government agent behind the door stared at them in silence a few seconds, and the pirates stared back at him, before he finally reacted. “Sound the alarm! Intruders on bo-AHH!”

Sanji kicked him so hard he flew back to hit the far side of the train car. “How dare you interrupt when I’m comforting a lady in distress.”

“Sanji, focus?” Vivi prompted as she stepped through the doorway behind him. Just an army of soldiers between them and Nico Robin. No more wallowing and no more crying, Vivi thought. Time to get serious.

A dozen suited government agents jumped up from their seats and pointed their pistols at Sanji and Vivi. Hushed whispers passed between them.

“Who is that?”

“Look at the strength of that kick! That’s no ordinary civilian.”

“Wait I recognise the girl. That’s the Desert Princess, Nefertari Vivi! She has a bounty of 80 million.”

“80 million? If that guy is her subordinate, they’ll be a difficult pair to take down.”

Sanji blushed and grinned stupidly at Vivi. “Hear that, Princess? They called us a pair.”

“I don’t think they meant it in that way,” Vivi replied with annoyance.

One of the agents moved for the far door. “We need to inform Lucci!”

“Now wait,” a deep voice said from above. Vivi and Sanji looked up to see up to see a tall man, so frightfully tall the ceiling was at his waist, and he had to stand bent over. The door they hand entered through was between his legs and his torso looked above them. “This isn’t something we need to warn CP9 about. No matter how dangerous this intruder is, in this car I can protect you.”

Vivi turned around to face him. “Who are you supposed to be?”

The tall man laughed. “The name’s Jerry, of CP6. I’m from an island in the south blue renowned for its karate, and I was boxing champion on that island. Do you know what that means?”

“Does it mean you’re only good in tournaments,” Vivi answered, “and in a real fight you’re useless.”

“See if you still think that after you feel the strength of my punches!” Jerry threw a gloved fist at Vivi, which she effortlessly caught in her palm, much to the shock of her opponent. “What? You caught my fist? How are you that strong?”

“I’m not, I only have a little strength,” Vivi revealed the dial shell she had kept in her hand, “but thank you for lending yours. IMPACT!!!”

The impact dial tore the entire back wall of the train car off its frame and sent Jerry tumbling down into the ocean with it. Vivi cried out in pain and dropped to her knees as the force reverberated up her arm.

Sanji knelt down next to Vivi to check on her. “Are you alright? You’ll break your arm if you use that dial too much.”

“I’m fine,” Vivi said through gritted teeth, “take down these other guys before they can warn anyone.”

The remaining agents were no match for Sanji’s kicks. That was one train car cleared at least, but this would only get more dangerous as they got closer to the front.

Chapter Text

Nami breathed a sigh of relief. The Aqua Laguna had almost swallowed them all, but Zoro and Luffy were safely recovered and the crew reunited on the upper levels of the city. All the crew except…

“Where did Vivi go?” The captain asked.

“On the sea train,” Nami said, “She’s with Sanji. They’ll keep each other safe. I have a lot to fill you in on.”

She explained everything she had learned and everything that had happened, and Luffy came to his decision. “We need to go after them right away.”

***

The next train car held only a few guards and Sanji easily dispatched them. This car seemed to be a storage space, Vivi guessed. Filled to the ceiling with sacks. Sacks of supplies, and sacks with prisoners.

“Sanji? Vivi?” Usopp wriggled against his restraints when he saw them, “What are you two doing here?”

Vivi couldn’t meet his eyes.

“Transponders,” she quietly mused, partly in answer and partly to jog her thinking, “Sanji, you said you left a mini transponder with your letter for Nami? Carue would have found and delivered it so if we can just find a snail somewhere in this storeroom…”

They were in luck. A few had been left atop some stacked boxes. Now they could contact Nami and link up with the rest of the crew.

The other prisoner spoke up, asking Usopp, “These those pirate friends of yours?”

“Ex-friends,” Usopp corrected.

Vivi scrunched her eyebrows when she heard that other prisoner talk. “I know that voice. Franky?”

“Shocked by my good looks Princess?”

“I see now why you wear a mask.”

“Hey!”

Their verbal barbs were cut off by Sanji kicking Franky in the face. “You’re the one who abducted our Princess! How dare you!”

“You people already knocked my house down!” Franky argued, “Is that not enough?”

Vivi put a hand on Sanji’s arm and pulled him back. The chef still scowled but heeded the Princess’s lead.

“I warned you, Franky, what would happen if you didn’t let me go,” Vivi said, “You’re lucky we have bigger problems right now.”

“He’s not so bad really,” Usopp told them, “He even helped protect Merry. At least until… Merry is…”

Something else had happened to their ship, something worse than the damage already suffered. Another issue for another time. Vivi couldn’t let herself get distracted. She picked up a transponder snail under her arm. “Sanji, free those two then follow me up to the roof. The agents in the next car would have heard us yelling – we need to get out of sight.”

“You want to team up with the man who kidnapped you?” Sanji asked.

“Not particularly,” Vivi said, “but from what I’ve seen of CP9 we can’t take them on alone. Come on.”

Vivi got out the back of the train car and hauled herself up to the roof. Sanji followed, with Usopp and Franky right behind him.

With the rushing wind and rain around them, the sounds of talking would be muffled from anyone inside. Still, they didn’t have long. Vivi could see shadows moving in the windows of the train cars ahead. They knew by now there were intruders aboard, and when they weren’t found inside someone would eventually think to check the roof.

Vivi would have to make this quick. She unhooked the transponder and called Nami. After a few rings she answered. “Hello? Sanji?”

“And friends,” Vivi replied.

“Vivi!” relief lifted the navigator’s voice, “You’re ok!”

“For now. I’m with Sanji, and we found Usopp captive here on the train. And Franky. Not sure why the government wants them, but we freed them. Did you find Luffy and Zoro?” Vivi asked.

“I did. They’re here right now,” Nami said, “We’re on another sea train in pursuit. Just stay put and stay hidden until we can catch up and help.”

“It’s not that simple, they know we’re here, so it’s only a matter of time until we’re found. And if you don’t catch up before we reach Enies Lobby then we lose our best chance to get Robin back.”

“Just wait. Vivi, you can’t fight them alone. Luffy!”

She called the captain over. In the moment of quiet between, Vivi breathed out a sigh of annoyance. Nami was her best friend, and very protective over her. Sometimes too protective. They couldn’t afford to be careful.

After a moment, Luffy spoke through the transponder. “That’s Vivi and Sanji over there, right? How are things over there? Where’s Robin?”

“They still have Robin,” Vivi said, “We’re getting her back.”

Sanji got down next to her to talk to the crew. “Vivi told me what happened. Now that I know Robin’s story, I won’t hold anything back. We’ll do anything to keep her safe.”

Luffy responded. “Is that right? You can go ahead and tear things up.”

Next, they heard Zoro’s voice on the other end arguing with the captain. “What are you thinking Luffy? Tell them to hold back and wait. Hey Vivi, you saw what those guys can do, you know you can’t take them. And cook, even you’re not strong enough to fight them.”

Sanji laughed and took the receiver from Vivi’s hand, “Worried about me Mosshead?”

Vivi took it back, “There are more ways to fight than attacking head on. Maybe we can’t beat them, but we can steal Robin away.”

“See?” Luffy said on the far end. Even after all her mistakes, the princess still had her captain’s faith. She silently hoped she could live up to it, as Luffy finishes speaking. “If it was you on that train, would we be able to hold you back?”

The silence communicated Zoro’s assent.

Vivi said, “By the time you see us again, Robin will be back with us.”

“And if she’s not then we’re all ready to fight to save her,” Luffy agreed.

“She will, I’ll make sure,” Vivi promised, regret weighing her voice down. She drove Robin away. She had to bring her back. “I can’t let her down again.”

Vivi put down the transponder, and she and Sanji looked over at the two others they’d freed.

Usopp looked down at his feet. “Lot happened since I left, huh?”

Vivi and Sanji shared a look and silent agreement. He deserved to know, so they filled him in on the situation with Robin.

“Robin didn’t know about you leaving when she decided to sacrifice herself,” Sanji finished, “which means she was protecting you too.”

Usopp was silent, staring down, and had no answer for his former crewmates. The story seemed to move Franky at least.

“What does this all mean? Nico Robin is always said to be a cruel, heartless woman,” Franky said while openly weeping, “But what is this deep love for her comrades? All right! I’ll help you save your crewmate. It’ll be trouble for me too if Nico Robin gets captured by the government, and I can’t refuse after hearing that touching story.”

That was a surprising development, Vivi thought, but a positive one. Her trust in Franky was measured, but they did need help. With the expectant eyes of all three of them on him, Usopp finally spoke up. “I’ll stay here. It’s got nothing to do with me anymore, right? If the world government is finally out enemy, I don’t really want to be involved. And after everything that happened between us, how can I possibly stand beside you guys again?”

“You’re not the only one who made mistakes that day,” Vivi admitted, “I’m… sorry I hit you.”

“Yeah, well maybe I was asking for it,” Usopp turned away from them all, “It’s too bad about Robin, but I don’t have any obligation to help. I quit the crew, remember?”

Usopp walked away, hopping across to the roof of the next car back. Disappointing, but they let him go. They would just have to make do without. They had lingered too long as it was. The head of a marine solider popped up from the window of the train and made a startled “I found them!”

Vivi, Sanji and Franky prepared for confrontation, when a small bolt of lead shot through the air and hit the soldier, knocking off the side and into the sea. The three of them looked to see where it had come from and saw a shadowing figure on the next train car. The silhouette of his head was oddly shaped, and a cape billowed out behind him.

“I heard the whole story,” the figure said in an exaggerated deep voice, “You want to save this young lady, do you? I will help you. My name is…”

Lightning flashed and revealed the misshapen head was a mask with three points coming off it, and a long nose appearing from the hole in the middle.

“…Sogeking!”

Chapter Text

Sanji and Vivi shared a glance with the same question, equally puzzled by the masked warrior. Was he… singing?

♪ I was born on the island of snipers

100 shots, 100 hits, lulu lala lu ♪

♪ Even a mouse’s eyeball, lock on

Even your heart, Lock On!

The man who hails from the island of snipers

Lululu, lulu lala, you’d better run away!

Sogege, soge, soge, Sogeking! ♪

Franky looked at the two pirates, “What was that?”

Vivi shrugged, “No idea. We don’t have to hurt his feelings over it.”

The newcomer introduced himself. “I’m a friend of your friend Usopp. He has safely escaped, so don’t worry about him, but he filled me in on the situation. I decided to come help.”

“Fast escape,” Vivi commented, “Well then, Sogeking, thank Usopp for us, we need all the help we can get.”

Vivi didn’t unveil the secret behind that mask. All three of them had already figured it out. If this was what he needed to do before he could help them then so be it. Sogeking stepped over to their roof to greet the three deeply baffled allies. “Don’t you have questions for me, since we’ve never met? Like where Sniper Island is?”

The others decided not to indulge the question and started preparing.

“There are five cars left we haven’t searched,” Sanji said, “Robin must be in one of them.”

Vivi added, “The smart thing to do would be to put her as close to the front as possible. That would be the hardest place to reach her.”

Sogeking answered his own question. “The answer is, Sniper Island is in your heart.”

“The four of us won’t be able to take every enemy on this train head on,” Vivi continued, “We need to win with deception, misdirection and division. Franky, you’re a ship dismantler. Think you can disconnect the couplings between these train cars?”

He said he could, and from there the four of them came up with their plot. Plans set, Sanji and Sogeking returned to the back of the train to get the attention of the agents and soldiers aboard. Vivi took Franky to the front of car five. A quick glance in the windows confirmed that Robin wasn’t in there.

Car seven was where Vivi and Sanji had entered, car six was there Franky and Usopp had been held captive, and car five held another contingent of soldiers now running to the back of the train thanks to Sanji and Sogeking’s diversion. Time for Vivi and Franky to do their part.

“Can you detach the couplings between these train cars?” Vivi asked.

“My mentor was the man who built this train,” Franky said as he unlatched the piece, “Of course I can detach the couplings. I’ve undone the locks. I just have to pull the central pin, and they’ll separate.”

Vivi nodded, “Then be ready for when the guys catch up.”

Using a dial, Vivi put a bar of iron cloud across the back door of car five, preventing anyone in the rear cars from coming forwards. A minute later, Sanji and Sogeking came running along the roof and dropping the space between cars with Vivi and Franky.

“We led them off,” Sanji reported back.

There was a bang on the door that Vivi had sealed. That wouldn’t hold long, they caught up just in time. Franky pulled the pin out and the three rear cars of the sea train slowed and shrank into the distance.

“Won’t the rest of your crew have to fight those guys now?” Franky asked.

“Luffy and Zoro can take them,” Vivi said.

Next the turned around to car four in front of them. Unlike the others they’d been through, this one had no windows. Just a solid metal box. No way to tell if Robin is inside except to step through the doors. That would also make it the hardest car to escape, so it could be the makeshift prison for Robin. Vivi took hold of the door handle and led her allies inside.

The car wasn’t a prison, it was a kitchen. And inside was only one opposition, strange looking man in a chef’s apron who called himself “Mad Wanze” and gave them some nonsensical spiel making Ramen with his nose hair. Gross.

“People are waiting for us Wanze,” Sanji tried to just talk around the idiot instead of wasting time starting a fight, “we’re in a real hurry.”

He took a first step forward and Wanze jumped up in his way. “If you want to pass through this car, you must first defeat me.”

***

“The rear cars were cut loose?” Kalifa questioned the unfortunate officer who delivered the news. Intruders on the train were wreaking havoc.

Rob Lucci interrupted before Kalifa could start interrogating the nervous man. “It hardly matters, the only problem is that Franky got loose. So long as he’s recaptured, any losses on our side are acceptable.”

Kalifa wasn’t done asking questions anyway. “Have you seen the enemy?”

The officer saluted and answered. “Yes ma’am, there are the two prisoners, although one of them is wearing a mask now for some reason, plus a blond man in a suit we don’t recognise, but I have to assume he’s an associate of the Straw Hat crew because…” he gulped before delivering the critical information, “because the fourth intruder, the woman leading them, is Nefertari Vivi.”

All of CP9 suddenly sat up and turned their attention on him. He feared he was about to die, bringing unwelcome news to these ruthless assassins.

“She really came to rescue Nico Robin,” Lucci said in realisation, “I thought those two hated each other.”

Blueno confirmed, “The princess was trying to kill Nico Robin when I saw her.”

“What a strange change of heart. But a fortuitous one. It seems we won’t be leaving a prize behind after all.”

***

“You’re going to stop us?” Vivi asked skeptically.

“That’s right, if you want to free that criminal then you’ll have to defeat my ramen kung fu first,” Mad Wanze warned them.

“Right.” Vivi reached for the door handle behind her.

Wanze puffed out his cheeks when squashed them, shooting a stick of noodle dough from his nostril that impaled itself in the door with the force of a bullet. Vivi jumped back to dodge out of the way. This guy was more dangerous than he let on. Nose ramen was too disgusting to think of ever eating, but the noodle embedded an inch deep in solid metal gave away the real purpose of that method.

“How dare you,” Sanji stepped up the confront the mad cook, “Disrespecting this kitchen by acting like that and still calling yourself a cook, and even worse using it to try to hurt a lady.”

Now that Sanji had Wanze’s attention, Vivi went for the door again. “Sogeking, Franky, up and over. Leave this one to Sanji.”

They went out the back and then up to the roof of car four. Running ahead, they found someone else waiting for them on the roof of car three.

“Trying to go over the roofs and skip me? Hardly seems fair,” the newcomer said. He had a weaselly rat-like face. He didn’t wear a uniform like the navy or a suit like the other agents. If not for the murderous look in his eye he might have looked like an ordinary civilian. “I’m Nero, newest member of CP9. Now that you’ve met me you won’t get any further.”

He leapt to attack. Vivi and Sogeking dived out of the way. Franky got in the way and let himself get hit, and Nero’s tempest kick clanged and bounced off Franky’s metal body. Vivi sprinted past towards the front of the train, hitting the jet dials in her boots for just a second to evade Nero when he tried to grab her.

“I’ve got this one,” Franky assured the two of them, so they left him to the fight.

Vivi and Sogeking dropped into the space between cares 3 and 2. Looking in the back window of car three, it was empty, no sign of Robin. Vivi then checked the window of car 2, but once she saw what was inside, she hurriedly pulled herself away from the window.

“CP9 are in car 2,” Vivi said, “and Robin isn’t, so she must be in car 1. If we try to sneak past over the roof or the side, I think they’ll know. One of us needs to get their attention while the other sneaks past and retrieves Robin.”

As soon as she said it, Vivi realised who would need to be the distraction. CP9 were singularly focused on capturing Robin. Nobody would divert their attention from her except someone else they considered just as important. The other target they had been ordered to capture. Vivi took a deep breath and gripped the door handle. “Sogeking, I’m counting on you to get Robin back.”

He saw her white-knuckle grip on the door and asked, “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Something that will probably get me killed. Make it count.” Vivi turned the handle and stepped inside the face CP9.

Every eye in the train car turned to her when they heard the door latch unclick. Rob Lucci in silent menace. Kalifa, stern with contained anger. Blueno looming from his towering height. Kaku, the most relaxed of the four, but nonetheless poised and deadly.

“Must be embarrassing for you,” Vivi said as she announced herself, “the government’s most skilled team of agents, and you had to leave with only one of your two targets secured.”

“How kind of you to turn yourself in,” Lucci said, “and saving us the trouble.”

***

Sitting quietly as the train carried her way, Robin was surprised to hear a tap on her widow, and a masked but unmistakeable figure clinging to the outside.

“Long Nose?” Robin helped him inside. “Why are you here? How did you get aboard?”

“A pleasure to meet you, I’m the Sniper Warrior Sogeking,” he said as he clambered in, “This conversation will be too long if I explain everything, but in short I’m here to rescue you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“And not just me,” Sogeking continued, “Sanji and a new friend Franky are fighting the government agents on the train right now, and Princess Vivi is in the next car confronting CP9 right now.”

Robin surged to her feet. “She’s WHAT!?”

“Luffy and all the others are following too.” Sogeking tried to brush forward and keep Robin on board after that bad reaction. “They’re coming on another sea train, and it sounds like they’re bringing lots more allies.”

Robin wasn’t listening. “Why is the princess with CP9? She needs to be kept as far away from them as possible. She’s supposed to be safe on Water 7, with the crew she loves, content that her enemy is finally gone. She was supposed to never think about me again. No matter what deal I made, they’ll never let her get away if she hands herself over like that.”

“She said someone had to distract those four so you could escape unnoticed.”

“And you LET HER!?” fear and confusion overtook Robin, “Why would she do that? She hates me, and rightly she should. I deserve this fate, and she deserves better than a monster like me. Why is she even here? Why are any of you here? I told you all clearly, I was leaving the crew and never returning.”

“They know why you keep saying that too,” Sogeking answered, “that Iceberg guy cleared everything up. The Straw Hats know you’re not a monster, and they’re not so weak that they need or want you to sacrifice yourself for them. Vivi knows she was wrong about you. Just escape with her and let talk to you.”

“No!” Robin couldn’t. Those voices in her head never quieted, from so many people in so many places across the world. It’s a crime for you to exist, Robin. You should never have been born. Scorn and rejection were all too well known to Nico Robin. She had seen that same familiar hatred in the princess’s eyes when they fought at Iceberg’s manor but seeing it from Vivi stung in a way it never had from all the hundreds of strangers before. She really had hurt Vivi. The princess’s hate was well earned. Robin couldn’t face that again. Not from her.

Chapter Text

The four members of CP9 faced Vivi down. Her heart pounded in her chest. She kept a brave face to hide how frightened she was. She knew she just had to stall, but walking headfirst into the lion’s den like this, she knew this enemy would never willingly let her walk out.

“Blueno, take her,” Lucci ordered.

Huge hulking Blueno walked closer, his shadow coming over her. Vivi took out her string dial and sprayed a web in front of her across the width of the train. “Not so fast.”

The filaments were tiny but, as Vivi suspected, the members of CP9 must have enhanced senses as well as their strength and speed. They narrowed their eyes as if they could see the barrier Vivi had put up between them and her.

Blueno reached a hand onto the web, feeling its strength, and when he tried to pull his hand back, he found it stuck. He pulled again and his hand came free of his black glove, which hung suspended where the ensnaring strings had caught it.

“No matter,” Lucci said, and waved Blueno to step away, “Let her have her safety net. Even with it she can’t escape. She’s our prisoner either way, even if she fools herself otherwise. The princess is right where we want her.”

After that, CP9 stayed back from Vivi’s web. She was almost certain they would break it in seconds if they tried, but she also knew the world government hadn’t made it up to Skypiea and wouldn’t be familiar with dial warfare. All Vivi had to do was bluff like her life depended on it and make sure they didn’t decide to try their luck.

“Maybe you’re all where I want you,” Vivi said. It wasn’t even strictly a lie. They were doing exactly what she wanted – paying attention to her, which cleared the way for Robin’s escape. Stretch and exaggerate the truth enough and she could make it sound like CP9 were the ones in danger, and not Vivi. “You must have been so excited when you realised two important targets were on the same pirate crew. Nothing more than an obedient government dog, it’s not your place to ask questions. I guess you didn’t wonder what kind of captain can attract those kinds of followers.”

Lucci barked a laugh at her. “You want us to be frightened of Straw Hat? If he’s somehow still alive, we already know how that fight ends.”

Vivi knew full well how badly the battle at Iceberg’s manor had gone, but she told herself again what she had said to herself when all seemed lost in Alabasta. Believe in Luffy. No matter what else happens, focus on her part to play, and trust her captain.

“Do you think because you knocked Luffy down once that he’s beaten for good?” Vivi challenged, “Crocodile made the same mistake and look what happened to him. Now I’ll only say this once, give Robin back.”

“That woman tried to destroy your kingdom, Princess,” the predator’s grin on Lucci’s face grew wider, “and the secrets she carries could destroy the world. She’s a monster deep down. Surely you of all people would agree she should die.”

“Whatever truth Robin knows won’t hurt people nearly as much as your lies!” Vivi snapped. It was the World Government, in the end, that had taken Alabasta away from her. The bounty on her head, the lie that she was responsible for Crocodile’s plot, meant she could never go home again. “The only monsters here are the people who drove a little girl from her home and hunted her across the world for the crime of being inconvenient! Now give Robin back!”

“Or what?” Lucci didn’t believe her threats despite the confidence Vivi forced herself to show.

“Or we’ll take her by force,” Vivi threatened, “and we won’t stop until every member of CP9 is beaten and Enies Lobby sinks into the sea.”

Rob Lucci stepped up to Vivi’s string web, reached out, and with one hand ripped it free from the walls and cast it aside. “You’re an impassioned speaker Princess, but you’re no good at bluffing.”

Before any of the CP9 assassins could attack Vivi, the back door of the train broke inwards and Mad Wanze landed unconscious on the floor. Sanji, having beaten his opponent, stepped across and stood beside Vivi. The Princess gave a look towards her crewmate, then faced down CP9 again. “Who’s bluffing?”

From the roof they heard a thud, then a shout.

“Franky Ultimate Hammer!” and the ceiling caved in with Nero crushed under Franky’s metal fist. Franky joined Vivi and Sanji, “Super! Looks like you finished off the ramen freak too.”

“You both did good,” Vivi said.

Sanji suddenly turned to her with heart eyes. “I did??? I really helped you, my princess?”

“Yeah, you did, and you’ll get the chance to do it again.” This wasn’t over by a long shot. The hardest part was just starting now.

The members of CP9 looked down disappointed at their fallen ally Nero. He was supposedly one of them, but they had nothing but disdain for him. He struggled back to his feet, sputtering that he would kill Franky. Lucci coldly reminded him that Franky was to be taken alive and responded to Nero’s disobedience by landing the killing blow himself. So much for the protectors of justice, who so easily turn on and murdered their own comrade. And yet another reminder these were truly deadly foes.

“The Princess’s friends finally arrive,” Lucci addressed the pirates, “From the way you open doors you seem like a very impatient sort of man.”

Sanji stared him down just as fiercely. “You’re right. My parents raised me wrong.”

“As I was already telling this girl, the world would be better off without Nico Robin. It’s a crime for her to even exist. I’m glad she’s finally going to die, like she should have 20 years ago.”

“We won’t let that happen!” Sanji argued.

At that moment the far door behind CP9 opened and Robin entered, dragging Sogeking behind her as he desperately tried to pull her back. Sanji was overjoyed to see her, but Vivi was more measured. The plan had been for Sogeking to sneak Robin to the back of the train unseen. Instead, she announced herself. Something was wrong.

Vivi’s instinct was confirmed when Robin spawned a half dozen arms and used her powers to flip Sogeking over her shoulder and throw him on the floor. “You still won’t understand, even when I spell it out for you.”

“Robin…” Vivi didn’t know what to say. She tried to search her crewmate's face for answers, for relief she was here, for anything at all, but Robin wouldn’t even look at her.

“I’ve kept my part of the deal,” Robin reminded CP9, “mind that you keep yours.”

Rob Lucci started to laugh. “This girl wants you dead and still you protect her. Maybe there are feelings in that black heart of yours.”

Vivi didn’t hate Robin. She understood now. And she was afraid more than anything that she would never get to tell Robin how sorry she was. Luckily, she had her crew with her.

“Franky, disconnect the cars!” Sanji shouted.

Sogeking fired off a smoke bomb, grabbed Robin, and picked her up by the waist. Vivi was stunned at first, and in the confusion, Sanji picked her up and threw her back to car 3 before jumping back himself, Sogeking just behind, and then Franky pulled out the last pin and the cars separated away. They’d done it.

Sanji and Sogeking set down Vivi and Robin next to each other. Robin still wouldn’t look at Vivi, and the princess didn’t know what to say. How to even begin, when she had been so horrible to Robin.

“Robin I-” Vivi started to talk, but she was cut off by a loud metallic scraping. She ran to the gap with Sanji and Franky to see that Kalifa had launched an array of spiked chain whips which latched onto their train car dragged them close to CP9.

Vivi retrieved the axe dial from her pocket and used it to cut one of the chains. She tried to line it up with another, but with the jolting of the train car as it was yanked out of alignment with the track by Kalifa’s pulling, she couldn’t line up the dial right. And in a moment, they were too close, and Blueno reached over the gap the pull their train car back into place. Sanji kicked him as hard as could, but while all his strength rattled the CP9 agent it didn’t shake his grip. It seemed for a moment like there was no escaping.

Franky gave Vivi a significant look. “This crew of yours, they’re like your family, right?”

Vivi nodded, “Right.”

“That’s how a crew super should be,” Franky said, “I got you wrong when we met, Princess. Consider this my apology. And tell my guys back in Water 7 they’ll have to make do without me. They’re a tough bunch – they’ll find a way.”

Before Vivi could do anything to stop him, Franky ran and tackled Blueno, dislodging the CP9 agent and decoupling the trains again. As the distance grew, Franky shouted back at them, “Super! Don’t worry about me! Meet up with the Straw Hats and get back to town somehow!”

As CP9’s train receded, Robin finally got back to her feet and called after their enemy. “Wait! I’m not running away!”

The wind snatched away her voice and the train vanished from view. It was over.

“Robin, I’m so sorry,” Vivi tried to take her hand, but Robin still refused to look at her and she recoiled from Vivi’s touch. Vivi wanted more than anything to make this right. “What’s wrong? They can’t get you anymore. If it’s just because of the buster call, we can- hllk!”

All the air was driven was Vivi’s lungs in a shocked gasp. She tasted blood pooling in her mouth and throat. Vivi’s gurgle of pain made Robin finally look, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw what was behind Vivi.

“Stop!” Robin pleaded, “You promised not to hurt her!”

Blueno appeared from a door in the air itself, another power of his fruit, and withdrew his bloodied finger from where he had buried it to the knuckles in Vivi’s back.

Vivi fell to the floor, paralysed and suffocating. Sanji saw her state and panicked, “Vivi!”

He tried to run to her, but distracted by her state he didn’t mind the enemy, and Sanji didn’t make it two steps before he was floored by Blueno’s fist. Sogeking tried to fire a metal star that bounced off Blueno’s skin before he took the sniper down too.

Her consciousness fading, Vivi registered a shadow above her as Blueno reached down to pick her up and take her captive, but Robin stepped between them. “Don’t touch her. I haven’t resisted up to now, just leave her and I’ll come quietly. Don’t hurt her again. Please don’t hurt her again.”

“Robin…” It took all Vivi’s strength just to force out one word, “No…”

And as the last of her resistance drained from her body, Vivi blacked out.

***

Robin looked down at Princess Vivi’s unconscious body, her heart breaking all over again as she watched the blood drain from Vivi and her glassy eyes stared empty at the ceiling. Would she even live after such a grievous wound? If not, Robin’s sacrifice might as well be for nothing. All Robin ever did was hurt this poor girl. She wanted to do something good for her, just once, as the last thing she ever did. But she even screwed that up, and now Vivi was laying on the floor of the train and slowly dying. Robin could only hope the others got her to Chopper in time.

“I thought she was important to you people,” Robin said to Blueno, “Meant to be taken alive.”

“You’re wanted alive for your knowledge of the ancient weapons,” the CP9 agent answered, “We only needed her out of the way.”

As Robin prepared to walk through Blueno’s air door, back into the clutches of CP9, Sogeking struggled to his feet. “You’re still hiding something, aren’t you? Robin… Have faith in Luffy.”

Chapter Text

“Chopper! Where is Chopper!?” Sanji carried Vivi’s limp body in his arms as he and Sogeking climbed aboard the Rocketman sea train where the rest of their crew had been in pursuit.

The crowd of new allies parted, shipwrights and Franky thugs, to reveal their crewmates waiting for them. The first to see Vivi’s state was Carue. The faithful duck hovered helplessly around Vivi and honked an accusatory “Quack” at Sanji.

Sanji sighed his own disappointment. “I know Carue. I did everything I could to protect her, but it wasn’t enough.”

Chopper went straight into action as soon as he caught sight of the princess, coming to examine her wound and taking stitches and bandages from his bag of medical supplies.

“What happened to her?” Chopper asked.

“Damned CP9 guy got her in the back,” Sanji answered, “I tried to stop the bleeding, but she won’t wake up.”

The next to see her was Nami. The navigator strangled a horrified gasp. Nami rushed to the princess’s side and grasped Vivi’s cold frail hand between both of her own.

“Vivi!” Nami half whispered half sobbed, “Vivi, please, no…”

“Nami,” Chopper delicately extracted her, “I will look after Vivi, I promise, but right now she needs space so I can work. Everyone, stand back! Stop crowding her!”

Nami didn’t want to leave Vivi’s side, but Luffy came and pulled her away. “You’ve always been the one of us who most wanted to look after Vivi. But Nami, don’t forget how tough our princess is. Trust Chopper. And trust Vivi. She’s going to be ok. Say it with me, Vivi will be ok.”

Nami took a deep shuddering breath, “Vivi will be ok.”

Zoro knelt down next to Chopper. “Is there any way we can help?”

Chopper nodded. “Take these cloths and soak them in the ocean water outside. Saltwater isn’t the best disinfectant, but it will help.”

Zoro did as he was told. The crew stood by anxiously as Chopper got to work in the unconscious princess.

***

Being captive on the sea train together gave Franky and Robin time to talk.

“I got no intention of telling CP9 where to find those blueprints,” Franky said, “but there’s no point in me escaping if they still have you and your knowledge. You need to get back to the Straw Hats.”

Robin was still paralysed and shaking, the memory of her last glimpse of Vivi’s lifeless body burning in her mind. “I can’t. I’ll just hurt them more by being with them.”

“It’s not you who’s hurting them, right?” Franky asked, “The government calls your existence a crime, but no matter what weapon you have, just being isn’t a crime. Existing is not a crime.”

“What I’ve done with that existence is inexcusable,” Robin whispered, “my poor princess…”

Franky looked at her in disbelief, “Right she mentioned something like that. You don’t really still think she hates you after what she did to save you?”

“When Blueno came back he said that wound was probably fatal, and handing myself over was for nothing.”

“So why not resist them now?”

“Because if it’s true that she was here for me then it’s my fault she’s dead. I deserve to be executed for that.”

***

Vivi woke up in pain. She scrunched her eyes and groaned as she tried to sit upright. It felt like an effort just to breathe.

“Take it easy Princess,” Sanji was at her side, supporting her to sit up and holding a glass of water to her mouth to sip, “You’ve been out a few hours. Chopper patched you up and we’ve been taking turns watching you, but you need to rest.”

Vivi shook her head. “Can’t. Not while Robin’s still in danger.”

“What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“Wasn’t it?”

Up the other end of the train car, the rest of their group was meeting Sogeking. Most people saw through the ruse, but three of their crewmates…

“Sogeking from Sniper Island!” Chopper and Luffy were equally awed by the mantled hero. Behind them, Carue quacked with enthusiasm and his eyes sparkled with excitement as Sogeking made out three autographs to Luffy, Chopper and Carue.

“Really?” Vivi mumbled to herself.

She made herself stand, even though the effort made her make another louder groan of pain. Everyone else in the train looked over at her. Vivi tried to put on a brave face and hide how hurt she was. “How much further to Enies Lobby?”

Everyone looked at her in astonishment, until Nami was the first to break.

“Vivi!” She ran and hugged her, sighing with relief, “You were bleeding so much, and you wouldn’t wake up and I… I thought… I thought I lost you.”

Vivi gently returned the hug. “I’m alright Nami.”

Chopper came up to her next, approaching in his small form but riding on Carue to be at eye level. “No, Vivi you aren’t alright. That attack pierced a lung, and you had severe internal bleeding that could have suffocated you if I hadn’t drained it. You’re going to be lightheaded from the blood loss and have trouble breathing until you recover. You need to rest, and you should stay out of any more fighting.”

Vivi flexed her right arm and felt the heavy bandaging around her shoulder and chest. “I’ll rest when Robin is safe,” she said.

Carue looked down and gave her a small ashamed quack.

“You didn’t let me down Carue,” Vivi promised, patting the feathers on the back of his head and neck, “You got me to the train just in time. I’m the one who failed.”

She pushed through everyone else to find her captain. “Luffy, I think we need to talk.”

He gave her a confused head tilt. “Huh? What for?”

Vivi took a deep breath before she explained what had been in her mind. “I need to step down as your First Mate.”

Luffy scrunched his eyes and scrutinised her. “Why?”

“When I decided to stay after we saved Alabasta, I wanted to help you lead our crew. I thought my experience would help. But everything I’ve done for a while now has just made things worse. When you argued with Usopp, I only drove the wedge between you deeper. When Robin went missing, I made the worst assumptions about her. I tried to rescue her, and I failed. I failed because she’s afraid of me, because of what I said to her. I don’t want to lose anyone but everything I do just breaks us apart,” Vivi’s lip quivered as she spoke. She fought to keep her composure but couldn’t stop a sniffle and a sob as more words tumbled out of her, “If we lose Robin, it will be my fault… and the government is still hunting the rest of us because of me… and if one of us dies because of the danger I put you all in… because of my mistakes…”

Luffy stopped her talking by putting his hand over her mouth, cutting her off mid-sentence. “You’re still such a worrier. We all put our lives on the line for you before, remember? That hasn’t changed. And today we’re doing the same for Robin. We haven’t failed her yet. So what if you did things wrong? We’re going to make them right. You don’t get to give up or quit until I say you’re allowed. Chin up Vivi, captain’s orders.”

He took his palm off her, but Vivi had nothing left so say. She just gave him a small weak nod. She was going to keep trying. For him.

The last crewmate she hadn’t reunited with since waking up was Zoro. He looked at her silently from where he was leaning in the corner.

Vivi sent a tired smile his way, “What was it you said Mr. Bushido? About wounds to the back?”

Zoro’s mouth took a tiny upturn, and he made a “Heh,” the closest anyone ever got to making the swordsman laugh. “Cook told me you really tore things up over there. Be proud of that scar.”

Right this minute, Vivi felt more numb than proud. Sanji came to speak with her again.

“Vivi it wasn’t your fault,” he then said to the whole crew, “Everyone, you all need to hear this. After he took Robin, that CP9 guy Blueno stayed to gloat. When Robin was a child, her home island was destroyed in a Buster Call, and she was the only survivor. That’s the same attack they’re threatening to use on us to make her cooperate. The government is using Robin’s trauma to manipulate her. That’s what we must overcome before she’ll be willing to come back.”

It would be hard. Maybe the hardest fight of their lives. But the whole crew was committed. They were getting Robin back.

It was still a long way yet to Enies Lobby, so Vivi took her seat again and listened to the chugging of the train as she waited for the coming battle. She found herself sat across from Sogeking, and with time on her hands that she hadn’t had while they trying to fight CP9. Now that the chance was available, she had questions for the masked sniper. “I’m surprised that… Usopp wanted you to help us, considering we didn’t part on good terms.”

Sogeking carefully considered his response. “Just because… Usopp isn’t a member of this crew anymore doesn’t mean he’s stopped caring altogether.”

Vivi nodded, “If he ever wants to come back, it means a lot that… his friend is helping us save Robin.”

Ahead of the train, the sun began to rise. As black sky gave way to blue, a white marble tower rose up in the distance. There it was, the Tower of Law. Enies Lobby. And behind it a great looming shadow taller than anything on the island. The Gates of Justice. No one who passed through those gates would ever come back out.

Vivi had been told about Enies Lobby, but nothing could prepare her to see it. It was a great hole in the ocean, waterfalls all around a ring which drained into a seemingly bottomless pit. The path there the entry gates to the courthouse and the Tower of Law suspended precariously above that blackness.

The shipwright Paulie laid out a plan for them. Only the Straw Hat pirates would be strong enough to take on CP9, so they needed to save their strength for that fight. All their other allies would go ahead first, fight the government’s lesser forces, and clear a path for the crew to reach Robin and Franky.

Vivi agreed, “That sounds like a good plan. Right Lu… where is Luffy?”

Everyone looked out the train windows and saw him clinging to the top of the fence around the entrance to Enies Lobby, and then he stretched his rubber arms and launched himself onto the island. Luffy was never good at things like plans or waiting.

“Stick to the same plan,” Vivi said “Luffy will do what he does, and we’ll meet him there.”

The rest of the allies stormed the island while the Straw Hats stayed to wait. Five minutes. Vivi hoped that would be enough, but they couldn’t afford any delay. Every second passed like hours. Each moment Vivi feared was the last before Robin disappeared behind those gates forever. The sounds of battle in the distance did nothing to settle her nerves.

Five minutes passed and the gates still weren’t open.

“Change of plans!” Zoro shouted to them from his spot on top of the nose of the train. “Everyone, hold tight! Old lady Kokoro, full speed at the front gate!”

Before anyone could object to it, their driver - the same old woman as they met as shift station - sent the train full pelt at the front gate. The Yokozuna frog, another ally they’d acquired, leapt ahead and kicked the gate, bending it halfway down. Suddenly understanding the plan, Vivi held tight to a support rail, and then the train hit the gates, and the jolt nearly knocked her from her seat.

The wheels rode up the fence poles like tracks and the train went flying. Nami and Chopper and Carue and Sogeking wailed in terror. Sanji babbled something incomprehensible about protecting Nami and Vivi.

The princess stuck her head from the window to yell at the swordsman. “What do you think you’re doing!? How are we going to land!?”

“Just leave it to luck!”

“TO LUCK???”

Vivi didn’t hear his response to her outburst because the train first hit the back of a navy uniformed giant. Vivi hadn’t seen a man that big since Little Garden, and she remembered how powerful those two warriors were, but the force of the train knocked this one from his feet. Rocketman clanged and shuddered in a turbulent landing when the train fell on its side next to the giant. The battle around all stopped as every eye turned to the train that had fallen from the sky right into the battlefield.

Chapter Text

As the smoke cleared, all around was the battle between the navy and the Water 7 forces. The Straw Hats recovered and began joining the fray. Zoro and Sanji ran straight to battle, knocking down navy soldiers by the dozen. Nami followed behind, twirling the pieces of her climate baton. “Let’s try out the new perfected climate baton. Thunderbolt Tempo!”

A burst of lightning struck all around, frying their enemies, and making Nami jump back and hide behind Vivi to escape her own blast.

“Oh, you have a more powerful weapon now,” Vivi realised, “Cool.”

“Too powerful,” Nami ran over and whacked Sogeking with her baton. “It’s not selective!?”

Vivi agreed, “You need to watch out with those big blasts. You got our guys too.”

She pointed at where Zoro and Sanji had also been zapped by Nami.

“What did you do that for Nami!?” Zoro shouted.

“That was like the electricity when I met you Nami!” Sanji swooned.

Once those two recovered, Vivi addressed her crewmates. “Luffy will have gone somewhere in the thick of trouble. If there’s fighting anywhere else in island, then he’s…”

She was stopped when an explosion erupted from a building near the looming courthouse. “There he is,” the Straw Hats said in unison.

The air crackled with another hail of gunfire from the marines ahead and the crew took cover. Vivi grit her teeth. “No more saving our strength. We’ll have to fight the rest of the way.”

“No!” Shipwright Paulie pulled up holding the reins of one of the giant king bulls that had pulled the Franky Family’s vessel. “Get aboard! We’re not finished clearing your path yet.”

Vivi stayed on the ground and counted them off as they climbed up. Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Nami, Carue… one was still missing. She looked around and saw the yellow mask discarded in the ground, knocked off during the escape from that last volley of navy shots, and Sogeking with his face to the ground searching. Vivi picked up the mask and offered it back, “Lose something Sogeking?”

The sound of battle receded as their allies charged forward and the navy fell back. Sogeking was frozen as he looked up at Vivi and realised she could see his face.

“Oh! You found my friend’s mask,” Usopp desperately lied, “I’ll go take that to him now. Wow I really got lost trying to get back to Water 7.”

“You can drop the act. I knew who you were from the first.”

Usopp deflated a little. “You did?”

“So, let’s not waste time,” Vivi said, “We’re falling behind.”

Usopp took a step towards her, reaching to take the mask, but was stopped when he heard a splash as his boot landed in a stream of water. He and Vivi both looked to the side to see one of the defeated giants had woken up and was crying the literal river of tears Usopp had just stepped in.

“The shame!” the giant wailed, “After 50 years we failed! We’re the shame of Elbaf! We’re sorry Chiefs!”

Usopp’s eyes widened. “Elbaf? You come from Elbaf? The village of warriors? Why are you here fighting for the navy?”

The giant was strangely willing to explain himself to two enemies. Perhaps out of a sense that, having already been defeated, it didn’t really matter. “I’m Oimo. Me and Kashii were pirates until 100 years ago.”

That must be the other giant, Vivi thought, the one already knocked out when they arrived.

“One day the two chiefs of our crew began a duel,” Oimo continued, “The crew disbanded, and our members returned home to Elbaf, but after many years neither of the chiefs had returned from their duel. We thought something must be wrong and set sail to find them, but we got captured by the navy, who told us our captains were imprisoned! They made us a deal to work for the government and defend the gates of Enies Lobby for 100 years and in return our chiefs would be freed. But that was only 50 years ago and today we failed. The captains will never be freed!”

Usopp and Vivi looked at each other with shared recognition.

“Those captains of yours,” Vivi asked, “they wouldn’t by any chance be Dorry the Blue and Brogy the Red, would they?”

“How do you know the captains?” Oimo asked in shock.

“We met them both!” Usopp said, “On our journey here we landed in their island. For 100 years Dorry and Brogy have been fighting their never-ending duel! They were never captured! That was a big lie!”

As Vivi and Usopp related what had taken place at Little Garden, the giant’s face morphed from grief to rage, and he roused his friend then picked up Vivi and Usopp to sit them on his shoulder. Now that they knew the world government tricked them, they were out for revenge.

“I don’t understand,” Vivi couldn’t help but ask. “You decided to give up 100 years of your lives to protect your two captains. But because they argued, your crew disbanded. Your adventure ended and you were broken apart from the bonds you built with your crewmates. Weren’t you angry at them? When we met them, they didn’t even remember what they started fighting over.”

Luffy had told her it made sense. Usopp was delighted by it. Zoro had respected the strength of their will. But Vivi had just been confused, and learning more seemed only to make it more tragic. Wasn’t it wrong to hold a grudge like that? Shouldn’t they have tried to resolve their differences?

“I don’t really remember either,” Oimo said, “It’s been such a long time.”

“Shouldn’t they have worked out their differences instead of fighting?” Vivi asked, “They were friends and crewmates. Isn’t it wrong to let their anger at each other ruin that?”

Oimo looked at Vivi like she’d grown a second head. “You outsiders sure are strange. Fightin’ doesn’t mean you’re angry or you hate each other. A duel is a sign of respect! By fighting for so long, the captains are saying how much they love each other in ways they can’t say with just words. They didn’t ruin nothin’ and even though we’re far apart now we’re all still crewmates!”

Next to her, Usopp had crossed his arms and was looking away, and Vivi felt like she was finally starting to understand.

“Here,” she gave Sogeking his mask back and let him fasten it onto his face, “We still need our sniper hero at his most heroic.”

A few huge steps from the giants brought them back to where the fighting had gone, almost up to the courthouse doors now. The marines were briefly heartened by what they thought were allies before the giants turned on them and struck down huge numbers with their enormous clubs.

Satisfied that they had this battle handled, Vivi left Sogeking with the giants and jumped off Oimo’s shoulder. She used her jet dial boots to glide down into a run when she hit the ground and catch up to the rest of the crew where they had just reached the courthouse gates.

“Where’s Luffy?” Vivi asked.

Zoro pointed up. “On the roof. He’s fighting CP9 already. The one with the horns.”

She nodded in acknowledgment. “Then the rest of you meet us up there.”

Nami puzzled at her. “Us? What do you mean- Vivi wait!”

Vivi leapt up the front wall of the courthouse with her dials enhancing the height, taking three bounds to reach high enough to grab the ledge and pull herself over.

Like Zoro had said, Luffy was facing off with Blueno. The government agent was rattled, his normally stoic expression curled into a scowl. And Luffy was glowing pink with steam floating off his body.

“I couldn’t beat you before,” Luffy admitted, “but I have friends I want to protect, so I have to get stronger than everyone or I’ll lose them. I found a way to fight at my limit, so nobody has to go away again. Gear Two!”

“Gear…” Blueno’s eyes narrowed.

Luffy cracked his knuckles. “I’m glad I ran into you here. After what you did to Vivi, this is gonna hurt.”

“Wait.” The princess made her presence known as she climbed over the edge and joined Luffy in the roof. She glared down Blueno. He had been to the one to hurt her, but he had done far worse than that. He took Robin away from her. Twice Vivi had been right there next to her, at the manor and on the sea train, and both times it was that agent which tore them apart. “Luffy, I want that one.”

Luffy looked at her, “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Seeing Vivi was serious, Luffy nodded, and the glow and steam faded away. “Guess you don’t get to see my new trick after all.”

The captain leaned against a crenelation but watched intently as Vivi faced down the opponent. Vivi knew she wasn’t nearly as fast or strong as this enemy. Blueno’s stoic confidence returned because he knew it too. She hoped that might let her catch him off guard.

Blueno moved first.

“Shave!” He vanished into a blur of motion.

Vivi had a dial already prepared in her hand and activated the trial of strings, spinning a web in all directions as the filaments stuck against the crenels in the wall. She couldn’t see her enemy, but with these she could track his movements. Vivi felt a tug on the strings to her left, he was trying to flank her, so from her other hand she skidded her flame dial across the ground. It skipped in the stone tiles then exploded in the fireball that knocked Blueno off his feet and almost over the edge. He only just caught himself on the wall before he fell over.

“As I suspected,” Vivi mused, “Your Iron Body technique protects you from slashes and blunt force, but not from extreme heat.”

Blueno was scowling again. Or at least half his face was, the other half was too charred and covered in soot to tell. He tried something else. “Air door.”

He vanished into the hatch in thin air. Clever, Vivi couldn’t track his movements through whatever nether world was behind that power. Cautiously, she stepped over to retrieve her flame dial, ears straining to hear the click when the next door opened.

She could feel herself wheezing with each breath. Chopper was right about how quickly she would run out of breath. Even that short burst of action had taken her to the limit. For now, she was running in pure adrenaline, but that couldn’t last long.

Vivi heard a faint click and whirled around just in time to see the looming shadow behind her when,

“Jet Pistol!” Luffy’s fist shot so fast Vivi barely saw and knocked Blueno loose from the doorway he had appeared in. With steam rising from his body again, Luffy snarled at the CP9 agent. “Don’t go trying to sneak up and get her from behind again.”

Blueno’s desperate eyes flicked between Vivi and Luffy. Against just Vivi he had liked his odds. Against just Luffy he had been hard pressed. Against them both, it became abundantly clear just how outmatched he was. He turned and leapt off the far end of the roof, flying with the moon wall technique up towards the Tower of Law.

“He’s running away!” Luffy and Vivi both sprinted to follow but it was pointless. Neither of them could fly. He let the steam power fade from his body and they both slumped in the wall panting for breath.

“Using gears really takes it out of me,” Luffy puffed, “You’re not looking so good either.”

“Just,” Vivi spoke between deep gulps of air, “Just need to catch my breath. The others are on their way up.”

“Ok. We’ll wait here for them then we’ll all go in.”

“If CP9 didn’t already know we’re coming, now that Blueno has gone to warn them they will now.”

“Then let’s make an entrance.” Luffy climbed up on top of the wall, took in a deep breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs.

“ROOOOOBIIIIINNN!!!”

Chapter Text

The rest of CP9 laughed when Blueno returned, battered and burned from his fight. “You ran away? From them?”

“They’re stronger than we realised,” Blueno admitted, “and it seems Nefertari survived.

Overhearing, Robin couldn’t contain a gasp. Vivi was alive? Director Spandam backhanded a slap across Robin’s face. “Don’t start getting hopeful! She’ll die soon enough.”

Then from outside the call came, echoing across the chasm, from the captain who refused to let Robin go.

“ROOOOOBIIIIINNN!!!”

***

After announcing their presence by calling out for Robin, Luffy’s stomach rumbled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a meat and bone, complete with lint and fluff from the pocket. “Want some?”

Vivi recoiled in disgust. “All yours, Luffy.”

They heard a crashing sound from above, and up in the tower of law, a window shattered above a balcony and out fell Franky, making an escape, and in his arms…

“Robin!” Vivi clambered up onto the wall beside Luffy.

Robin pushed herself away from Franky and shouted angrily across the gap. “How many times must I tell you!? I’m not coming back! Why did you come to save me? I didn’t ask you! I just want to die!”

Around her, CP9 closed in. They emerged on the balcony, one of them quickly subdued Franky, and they stood in a line along the balcony. The four Vivi recognised, plus three more she hadn’t yet seen, and the man in the mask brace who seemed to be their commander. Robin was still cut off from them. She still wouldn’t let them help.

***

The director laughed when Robin rebuked her crew. “Let’s wait a bit. If the Straw Hats are fighting among themselves then let’s see how this turns out.”

He was delighted to see Robin turn away help, and he wanted to twist the knife by making her do it again. What a despicable, cruel man. But just one more humiliation to stomach and then Robin would be free to die.

She could hardly bring herself to look. Down below were the captain and the princess, standing tall and fearless against the doom seeking to take Robin. Relief soared in her heart that Vivi was safe, but as much as it hurt to scorn her, Robin had to make her leave. She had no idea how Vivi was still standing after being at the brink of death only hours earlier, but Robin refused to put her in that danger again. She had to drive the Straw Hats away no matter what.

“You want to die?” Luffy called back, his blank dumb look on his face. He thoughtlessly picked his nose and threw it off the edge. “What the heck are you talking about? Hey Robin! We’re here already! All of us! So, we’re gonna save you, and if you still want to die then do it later.”

He was right, they were all here. The whole crew. A hole opened in the floor behind him and a whirlwind of air blew up, carrying the doctor and the navigator and the duck. The swordsman climbed out behind them. The cook kicked another nearby hole open and jumped up from there. And long nose got thrown all the way up from the ground below.

The crew all took their places in a row on the wall beside Luffy, and the captain said again, “If you want to quit or want to die or whatever, you can say whatever you want! But say it to our faces!”

Robin didn’t want to see. If she kept looking away, then she could keep pretending they weren’t here. She wouldn’t have to face the people she loved and turned against. Robin made herself look. It was the only way they might listen.

Robin looked down at the crew she had left. On the far left of the line was Nami, her usual fiery personality subdued under cool determination, holding her climate baton upright beside her. Next was Zoro, with his hardened face staring by right back at her, a hand rested and ready on the hilts of his swords. Then Carue, one wing raised in a salute, dutifully following where his princess led him. Vivi stood beside the captain. Robin had been afraid to see her, afraid to face the fiery hate in her eyes again, but instead she looked open and pleading. Not the wilful Princess but the frightened girl underneath, begging Robin not to turn her back again. In the middle was Luffy, arms crossed and full of quiet confidence. On his other side was that yellow Sogeking mask, with a posture affecting surety and a new and improved slingshot as tall as himself, but Robin knew under the surface he wanted to run away. But he didn’t run, he stayed for his crew and for Robin. Next along, Sanji lit a cigarette and smiled up at her affectionately. And finally, Chopper, transformed into Heavy Point and puffing his chest out, trying to appear strong despite his fears. All of them were here for Robin.

But between Robin and the crew, the chasm below Enies Lobby gaped wide. No light could pierce that darkness. No matter how hard they fought, they would never reach her here.

“Luck seems to be on their side if they made it here,” Jabra of CP9 said.

“This time we’re licensed to kill them,” Lucci replied.

“CP9!” Director Spandam ordered, “I’m giving the order to kill them but only if they reach the Tower of Law! We don’t even know if they can get over here!”

Ever the coward, the director was just securing his own life. Having turned this order of assassins into his personal bodyguards, he then leaned over the balcony and laughed at the Straw Hats.

“You pirates are so stupid! Nothing you do can change things! Cower before the power of CP9! Bow under the weight of the Gates of Justice!” he procured a golden transponder snail from his pocket, “And flee from my authority to make a Buster Call!”

Robin couldn’t stop a wordless, strangled cry at the sight of the thing. The memories she had tried to lock away began rattling their cages in her mind, threatening to break loose and torment her again. A pit opened in her stomach and swallowed her down into its dark abyss.

“That’s right,” Spandam taunted her, waving the snail in her face, “This power wiped out your homeland twenty years ago. The name of Ohara doesn’t even appear on maps anymore!”

“Stop! Not that!” Robin all but begged, to the delight of the director as he saw her dismay. “Do you realise what will happen if you press that button?”

“It will reduce the pirates’ chances of survival to nothing!” Spandam held it to her face and hovered his finger threateningly over the button. “Doesn’t it bring back memories?”

“Just stop!” It was too much. Robin couldn’t take it. The mounting pressure broke her open and everything she had hidden, all the things she didn’t want to remember, the images that haunted her every nightmare, they all flooded back to the surface as once. “Ohara was removed from the maps? You can’t see people on maps. Seeing the world through those devices is the only way you can do such heinous things. You mustn’t ever, ever, use that. You mustn’t!”

Robin closed her eyes to stop the welling tears, and on the inside of her eyelids the images flashed by. Hers had been a lonely childhood, shunned as a devil from a young age, abandoned by her mother gone to sea, neglected by the aunt that was supposed to care for her. But she had one solace in the library within Ohara’s tree of knowledge. The historians, especially Professor Clover, had taught Robin and mentored her and encouraged her to read and study. That was her only sense of belonging for so long. They were the first ones to ever call her an archaeologist.

The one thing they always prevented her from learning about was the Void Century and the poneglyphs. Clover told it was too dangerous. The warnings only made Robin want to know more, and she had taught herself to read the stones in secret. Those were the secrets her mother went to sea to find. Chasing them was the only connection Robin had to her lost family.

Save for her teachers, Robin knew only one friend, and not for very long. Jaguar D. Saul, the giant who washed up in the beach one day, had never frightened her despite his fearsome size. He had a strange laugh. Dereshishishi. And he had told her she should laugh more herself. It wouldn’t do for such a little girl to be sad all the time. She told him about her dreams to go to sea one day and find her mother and learn the secrets of history together.

But when Saul eventually learned that the island he washed up on was Ohara, he gave her a terrible warning. There was a navy fleet coming to eradicate the scholars on the island and stop the research. When the navy finally came, Robin got to meet her mother who had just escaped them. They had only minutes before they were torn apart again. Her final words were a wish bordering on a command. Live, Robin! Live!

The marines slaughtered the scholars. Cannon fire rained from above. Saul carried Robin away to the shore and what he hoped would be safety, but instead they found Vice-Admiral Kuzan, who would one day become Admiral Aokiji. For reasons she still didn’t understand, he let Robin go, but Saul was not afforded the same mercy. The giant’s last words were a promise. Somewhere on the sea there are people who will love you and protect you. Find them. And never forget how to laugh.

The scholars died. Professor Clover died. Robin’s mother died. Saul died. The aunt who neglected her died. The children who taunted her died. The villagers who overlooked her died. The marines who had come ashore only to become trapped died. The tree of knowledge burned. The town burned. The woods burned. The island burned and sank into the sea. Every time she closed her eyes she saw them.

Escape was no reprieve. Robin was utterly alone in the world. Every night she relived the same nightmare full of fire and death. At first, she tried to make herself laugh like Saul taught her, but she quickly stopped. The sound of Dereshishishi sounded more like crying than laughing to Robin’s ears. Robin didn’t cry. Robin didn’t laugh. She was dead to the world. Never staying still for long, always with government dogs in her heels, turning on everyone she met before they could betray her first. It became obvious to her that Saul was wrong. There was nobody in the world who would ever love her. She scraped for every clue she could find to more poneglyphs, and each rare opportunity to read one felt like being beside her mother again for a fleeting moment.

Until her last leads dried up in Alabasta and she had nothing left to live for. Nothing but a strange boy who refused to let Robin die. And the princess on his crew, whose life Robin had nearly destroyed in the same way hers had been. Making it up to that girl was the only good Robin could do in her life of misery.

“20 years ago, everyone I ever loved was taken from me by the Buster Call.” Robin collected herself, trying to stay calm through the roaring storm in her head and in her heart. Trying not to let herself cry. She looked out across the chasm at the crew that had come for her. They were so stupid and reckless… and so utterly devoted. “That attack is now aimed at you, my friends who I found at long last. The more I wish to stay, the worse I endanger you. No matter how far I run I cannot escape this foe, the whole world and all its darkness, which pursues me. One day that burden will be too much to bear, and you’ll come to resent me. One of you already has, I know, and she was right to want me gone! My doomed fate was always wrapping itself around the rest of you. If I must die, then I wanted my death to save you from that darkness, not ensnare you in its web! I didn’t want you coming to rescue me and losing even more!”

She felt the tears welling in her eyes even as she fought to stop them falling. Even as Spandam laughed in her face at her grief.

“You’re absolutely right!” Spandam taunted her, “You’re nothing but a problem! You just hurt everything around you! Someone like that is better off dead!”

The next reply, to Robin’s surprise, came from across the chasm. Princess Vivi stepped forward out of line. “I know a thing or two about being hurt by Nico Robin!”

Spandam cackled in delight. “I was right! They aren’t here to rescue you! They just came to scorn you to your face one last time!”

Robin’s heart broke in her chest. She couldn’t listen to this.

“When I met Miss All Sunday, the only thing I knew about her was the crimes she committed, and that she held the place at the right hand of one of the worst men I ever knew” Vivi said, “Crimes against the world, against my country, against the people I love. But then I got to know Robin. I got to see the heart she keeps buried so deep. I learned about the dream that led her to where she was. Robin! I forgive you!”

Robin gasped. Her broken heart began to beat again. The first of her welling tears dropped onto her cheeks. This wasn’t possible. After everything Robin had done to Vivi, she couldn’t really mean this, could she?

Vivi continued her impassioned speech, calling out with her whole heart to reach Robin. “Whatever crimes you’ve committed, whether they were days or weeks or years ago, if it was with Baroque Works or on Ohara or anywhere else in between, none of them matter! I don’t care about your past because I know the woman you are now! I’ve seen your curiosity at the sight of a mystery. I’ve seen your awe at the wonders we find beyond the horizon. I’ve seen the guilt on your face whenever you look at me. I’ve seen the kindness and care you try so hard to keep hidden. I’ve seen the quiet joy you’ve felt at having a family again. And that family includes me too, Robin! I love you! I miss you! I want you home safe at our side where you belong! I’m sorry I didn’t understand you before! I'm sorry I was so lost that I didn't see how you were hurting! And I promise I’ll never doubt you again!”

Robin was speechless. Spandam was outraged.

“Love!?” The director pointed at the flag at the top of the tower, “Do you see that symbol? It represents the unity of 170 nations across the four seas and the Grand Line. You think you can defeat the sheer might of the whole world with childish ideas like the power of love!? Do you realise what kind of power you’re fighting against for one woman!?”

Luffy spoke a command to Sogeking, from so far away Robin couldn’t hear what he said, but she realised what it was when to long-nose pulled back his slingshot.

“Special attack: Firebird Star!”

The projectile shot into the flag and burst it into flames. The shock was so intense that Robin even heard from the soldiers on the ground far away. “They really did it!? Those pirates just declared war on the whole world!”

“Are you crazy!?” Spandam shouted at them, “You’ll never survive with the entire world as your enemy!”

Luffy puffed his chest and raised his arms and declared for the whole island to hear, “Bring! It! On!!!”

“Robin!” Luffy’s next shout was just as loud but meant for one person only. “We still haven’t heard you say it! Say you want to live!”

Vivi joined her voice to his, “And say you want to be with us again!”

To live? Robin openly wept as she looked at these eight who had come to save her. I didn’t think I was allowed to wish for that. No one ever let me.

For so long, all she had known from other people was scorn. The voices that followed her everywhere always reminded Robin. You shouldn’t be allowed to live, Robin! Your very existence is a crime! So loud in her head she couldn’t hear anything else. She had said again and again how all she wanted was to die. But for all the hate she had received all her life, if anyone in the world truly deserved to hate her it was Nefertari Vivi. Vivi whose life Robin threatened, Vivi whose country Robin sabotaged, Vivi whose childhood Robin stole. But after all the pain she had caused the princess… love? Vivi loved her. Every single one of those people down there loved her.

Spandam called it childish. Robin might have said the same not long ago. She had been forced to grow up so quickly and give up every dream and wish just to live on. But maybe a childish dream wasn’t so bad after all. Saul’s last words to her echoed in her head. Someday for sure you’ll find friends who’ll protect you. And long-nose had told her back in the train to have faith in the man she called her captain. If it was really alright for her to wish for something, just this once…

“I WANT TO LIVE!!!” Every wall and barrier Robin had built around herself crumbled in an instant, and the little girl buried beneath cried out with all her heart. Tears streamed down her face and clogged her voice, and she feared her crewmates wouldn’t hear as she called out. For hope, for love, for family, for all the things Robin was denied that she dared dream to have again. “TAKE ME TO SEA WITH YOU!”

***

She wanted to live. Joy burst in Vivi’s heart when she heard it, so much that she wanted to leap in excitement. Robin wanted to live! Vivi hadn’t ruined everything. It wasn’t too late. Her friend, her crewmate, her sister, Robin was coming home.

The Straw Hat looked between each other in a shared agreement. They weren’t letting Robin down ever again. And Vivi silently promised herself, just saving her life wasn’t enough, from now she would make sure every day at least once she got to see Robin smile. That woman had suffered more than enough for one lifetime.

Below them, the drawbridge between the courthouse and the Tower of Law began to lower. The crew braced themselves for the coming battle. Luffy cracked his knuckles, knowing all their wills were behind him. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

The drawbridge below them started to lower. Their allies had come through for them and reached the winches. Just a moment longer and the path would be open to rescue Robin. But before the Straw Hats could celebrate too soon, they felt the rumble of an explosion at the base of the building and the lowering bridge suddenly juddered to a stop. The mechanism was destroyed, and it couldn’t move any further.

Across the chasm on the Tower of Law, a new confrontation was playing out. Franky brandished a sheaf of old dusty paper which CP9 regarded with fear and possession. Those must be the Pluton blueprints that Iceberg had mentioned. After a short argument too far away to hear, he breathed fire in the papers and burned them to ash, denying the government their prize. Bold move, Vivi thought.

Down below, one of the Franky Family stuck his head out a window and shouted across to get Franky’s attention, and Franky shouted back in tears, touched at his gang’s dedication to save him.

Luffy quickly lost patience for the whole thing. “Would you guys shut up! Robin is waiting so hurry up and lower the bridge!”

“Hey Straw Hat!” Franky shouted to Luffy, “It seems my men were beholden to you. This time, their boss Franky will show you Super military might!”

“Whatever! I’m still mad at you for kidnapping Vivi! And it’s also because of you that Usopp left!”

Vivi felt like the debt was repaid after all Franky had done on the sea train, even if it didn’t work in the end. But she couldn’t help a private smile at her captain’s dedication.

The argument could have gone on, but it had not been a wise decision of Franky’s to turn his back on the enemy to talk over the edge. The CP9 director came up behind him and shoved, and the big cyborg fell from the tower towards the empty below.

Just as Franky began to fall, Nami’s transponder snail spoke up with old Kokoro’s voice. “Hey Pirates, what are you waiting around for? I’ll be there in four seconds. Jump for the gap!”

Behind them, they heard the puffing of a steam engine. She was bringing them the train. Suddenly understanding the plan, Luffy stretched out his arms to loop over the whole crew and then jumped. They all shrieked in terror as they fell until they were caught by the sea train mid jump, and hurtling metal monstrosity crashed into the front gate of the tower of law.

Once the screeching and crashing subsided, the Straw Hat pirates carefully picked themselves out of the rubble. It hadn’t been a soft landing, but they made it to the Tower of Law and picked up Franky on the way. Next step, find Robin. But a nasally voice stopped them before they could start.

“Not so fast,” said a round green man clinging to the ceiling. One of CP9, Vivi recalled seeing him on the balcony. “Cha pa pa! So, you made it to Enies Lobby. But you’re too late, Lucci and the director are already taking Nico Robin to the Gates of Justice. We of CP9 won’t let you get there! Cha pa pa, and unless you beat all of us there’s no way for you to rescue Nico Robin.”

The round man took a key from his inside pocket. “Take a good look. Robin has been handcuffed with sea prism stone cuffs. Even if you rescue her, those cuffs are hard as diamond. You’ll never get them off her without the key.”

“Then hand it over!” Luffy launched a punch, but the round man leapt out of the way to perch in another corner.

“I never said this was the real key. It could be the key to some other set of cuffs. There are six of us from CP9 here in the tower and we all have a key. You’ll have to defeat all of us to be sure you’ve got the right one.”

“Our first priority has to be Robin,” Nami said, “once we have her then we can worry about keys.”

The round man laughed. “Cha pa pa, that’s clever, but if you do that, we might just throw these keys in the ocean. We’re at least giving you a sporting chance.

With that he flew away into the tower.

“Go after Robin first and we won’t be able to free her properly but get the keys first and she’ll be through the gates before we can reach her,” Vivi realised, “we need to do both. Luffy, you still want your rematch with the pigeon guy?”

He cracked his knuckles. “Yeah.”

Vivi nodded. “Then go get him. Don’t let Lucci take Robin through those gates. The rest of us will split up and find those keys. There are eight of us and six of them, so we have the advantage. Let’s go!”

Vivi hopped up on Carue’s saddle and the crew all ran their separate ways into the tower. Just before she whipped the reigns, Nami hoped up behind Vivi in the saddle.

“I thought I said split up,” Vivi said.

“No way I’m letting you take on these guys alone again.”

“Oh fine.”

Vivi spurred Carue and the three of them set off down a corridor. It took them down a flight of stairs and into another corridor lined with barred doors like an underground prison. Carue’s run was stopped with a surprised squawk when one of CP9 appeared around the next corner. Tall and pale, with tendrils of white hair surrounding him like tentacles, and brandishing a long steel pole as a weapon. “Lo, thou pirate! Halt thy trespass! Yo yoi!”

Before they could act to either fight or flee, those tendrils of hair moved like they had a mind of their own. The strands ensnared Vivi and Nami in an instant. Carue hopped back out of reach but not before his two passengers were tangled. He let out a distressed quack as he saw the two women trapped.

“Now you art mine!” The pale CP9 agent gloated, “Yoyoi! Abandon all hope of escaping!”

Vivi still had one arm free thankfully and got out her axe dial to cut free the other. Meanwhile Nami slipped loose from her jacket, letting to enemy sabre the outer garment while she escaped. They both scrambled back on Carue and Nami spurred for him to go. “Get us away as fast as you can Carue!”

He sped at full speed back the way they’d come.

“But what about the key!” Vivi argued.

“This key?” Nami held up a key for her, smugly twirling it in her fingers, “I picked it off him while he had us tangled. Don’t think he even noticed.”

Vivi’s eyes widened. “You stole… Nami I could kiss you right now.”

“Later,” the navigator grinned and stashed the key in one of her pockets, “we still have five more of these to get.”

As they reached a crossing of two corridors, out of the side passage that pale CP9 agent appeared again. He caught up so fast! These guys abilities were not to be underestimated. They couldn’t do anything as white hair coiled around the three of them.

He raised his steel pole to begin ending their lives, but before he could bring it down, something big and brown and fuzzy appeared out of the opposite direction.

“Cloven Rose!” Chopper in his Arm Point transformation hit so hard that the enemy went flying away. Released from the tight grip of hair strands, Nami and Vivi and Carue collapsed to the ground. Chopper came and checked on them. “Are you three alright?”

“I think we’re ok,” Nami coughed as she got back up.

“And we have the key already,” Vivi added, “So let’s escape while he’s down.”

The four of them ran away. As they went, Chopper asked, “Nami what number is that key?”

“Number three,” she replied.

“No good,” Chopper said, “Zoro and Sogeking got cuffed together and we need number two to free them.”

“They did what?” Vivi asked. Those guys were such idiots but that was a new low.

As they arrived back in the central atrium, something plummeted from the other levels and landed with a thud in front of the four of them. It looked like a smoothed out rubbery doll, but once they got closer, they realised, “That’s Sanji.”

“What happened to him,” Chopper turned small to examine, “he looks like a glass doll, and he’s been badly beaten.”

Sanji coughed from the floor. “I’m… sorry I lost. I couldn’t get the key…”

While Chopper examined his body, Nami and Vivi looked up to where he’d fallen from. Up several flights of the intern stairs, leaning over the railing looking down at them, was the former secretary Kalifa.

“Your opponent was that woman,” Nami guessed. “You didn’t fight all out because you’re soft on women.”

Vivi mentally corrected herself. Two of her crewmates getting stuck together with handcuffs as nothing. This here was a new low.

Sanji struggled out again, “Sorry… about the key.”

“I didn’t ask about the key!” Nami snapped, “That chivalry of yours nearly got you killed!”

“Even if it kills me,” Sanji declared through gritted teeth, “I won’t kick a woman!”

Nami and Vivi shared a very tired eye roll.

“Idiot,” Nami softly knocked Sanji in the head with her clima-tact. “If you won’t fight some enemies then at least run away and don’t just let them beat you up. As for that woman, I’ll deal with her myself.”

A hopeful glimmer made Sanji raise his head. “Nami… Is this a confession of your love for me?”

“She didn’t say anything like that,” Vivi told him.

Nami turned and winked at her. “Jealous, Princess?”

Realising what she was implying, Vivi crossed her arms and looked away at the floor. “No. But I’m coming with you. Carue, stay with Chopper and protect Sanji.”

Carue quacked his assent and saluted her. Vivi and Nami rushed up the stairs to confront this new enemy. When they reached the level, Kalifa had gone back in one of the rooms. Nami entered first and stumbled the second she crossed the threshold.

Vivi caught her. “Nami what happened? Are you ok?”

“It’s like my feet can’t balance no matter how I try to stand,” she said, leaning all her weight on Vivi.

The princess looked down and saw why. “They’ve been changed. Like Sanji’s whole body was, but for you at least it’s just your legs. What kind of power is this?”

From inside the room, they heard a laugh. The room was floored and walled with slippery pink tiles and in the centre was a large bathtub full of bubbles. Kalifa leaned casually on the edge, laughing at the two of them. “I see you both came. How unfair, trying to fight me two against one. My last opponent was much more respectful. But that’s ok, I have backup to call on too.”

Part of the back wall opened like a door and another CP9 agent entered. Tall and looming, still singed from his last meeting with Vivi and looking for payback. Vivi narrowed her eyes in contempt at the man that she too wanted a rematch with. Blueno.

Chapter Text

Carue wasn’t watching of Sanji long before his guard posting was challenged. Out of the corridor they arrived from, that tall and pale CP9 agent with the entangling hair appeared again.

“Halt! Yoyoi!” he declared to the two animals, “I shall not let thee escape!”

Seeing the enemy arrive, Chopper worried whispered to Carue, “Carue, my rumble ball was worn off already.”

“Quack,” Carue replied, to mean; don’t worry Chopper, this time I’m ready for him.

Carue was braced on his feet, knees bent and ready to spring. When the ensnaring hair follicles came, he was already moving, picking up Chopper and spring out of the way to circle around. The pale man attacked with his pole next, but by the time he hit, Carue was gone again. The duck circled so fast his enemy had not even begun to turn when he jumped on his back and scratched with the talons on the end of his feet.

The tall man straightened and stumbled, though the scratch had only cut his suit and not pierced his skin. Carue triumphantly quacked.

“That’s right!” Chopper encouraged from the saddle. “Nobody’s as fast as you Carue!”

Carue continued to circle and dodge. Every time the metal pole it, it punched a deep hole into the floor. If that hit either of them, they were probably dead.

“Carue look,” Chopper whispered again. “He’s only been attacking us and ignoring Sanji down there. Our crewmate will be safest if we run and make that guy follow us.”

Carue nodded, then after his next dodged he turned and ran down a passageway. A quick glance behind confirmed the pale man was following, flying behind them with his sky walk, and then Carue was full speed ahead.

Chopper pointed at a door up ahead. “Try in there!”

Carue went in. The room was a huge industrial kitchen and when Chopper saw the fridge he lit up, “Yes! It’s big enough and has a lock! Carue I’ve got a plan.”

Chopper waited by the fridge handle while Carue went back in the corridor to see their enemy close to catching him. Carue ran and made him follow, first into the kitchen and sprinting headlong at the fridge door. Chopper opened it and Carue dove to side just in time so the pale CP9 agent barrelled on momentum into the huge cold box and Chopper shut and locked the door. “Yes! We did it!”

“Quack!”

CRASH!!!

The roof collapsed and from above came two more fighters. Franky and the round green one from CP9. Chopper jumped in fright. “Ahh! There’s more of them!”

Franky snapped back, “I’m on your side gorilla!”

“Hey, who are you calling gorilla!?”

“Forget it. I need to get in that fridge! If I have three bottle of cola I can power up and beat this guy!”

“Who powers up from cola!? That’s not healthy!”

“I do! Just get it!”

Any more argument from Franky was shut off when the round CP9 agent got back and leapt at him again. Franky looked worse for wear. His attacks were sluggish and the front part of his hair that normally stood straight up had pathetically flopped down over his face. He did seem in need of refreshment.

Chopper carefully unlocked the fridge and grabbed the first three bottles he could reach before the CP9 agent trapped inside could try to get out. He threw the bottles to Franky, who opened his chest cavity like a cooler box and stuffed them inside.

“REFRESH! Vegetable Punch!” Franky’s fist bounced harmlessly off his opponent. The round man’s hit in reply sent Franky skidding over the floor to stop at Carue’s feet. He sprang back up and yelled. “Vegetable juice won’t make me strong!”

“I just thought you were thirsty!” Chopper protested, “You know cola is bad for you!”

“Now’s not the time to worry about health! And wipe that ‘I wonder what happens if I give him something else’ look off your face! I need cola!”

Chopper regarded the daunting looming form of the fridge. “If I open it again, that guy we trapped will be ready this time. I’ll have to be fast.”

“Quack!” Carue declared with determination. I can do it.

“You sure Carue?” Chopper asked.

“Quack.” Completely sure.

Chopper got ready by the lock while Carue’s scratched his feet on the floor and revved up. Chopper pulled the handle and Carue zoomed in, hooked three glass bottles of dark amber liquid in his bill, and was out again in less than a second. Chopper slammed the door behind him.

Carue flung the bottles at Franky, who caught them and placed them in his chest. His hair popped upright again, and he put up his fists in a heroic pose. “SUUUUPEEEER!!!”

Then he whipped around and punched the round man as hard as he could. “Franky Strong Hammer!”

The round man went flying and crashed through the nearest wall, leaving a hole in the concrete that left the sky outside visible.

“Good job duck,” Franky said, “Thanks.”

“Quack!” Carue angrily honked.

Chopper translated. “He says don’t thank him. He’s still mad at you for kidnapping Vivi.”

Chopper also explained the situation with Zoro and Sogeking, and why they needed to get key number 2 as well as whichever one would free Robin.

On the ground outside the piece of broken wall, the round guy got back up.

“He’s still fighting,” Chopper realised, “That guy’s really tough.”

“Just stay there and watch,” Franky replied. He shucked his colourful shirt off his shoulders, and then a mound raised out of each to his head height, sporting a cannon slot on either side. “Franky Destroy Cannon!”

“Whoa!”

“Qua!?”

“It dislocates my shoulders, so I don’t like using this move.”

“Huh!? Then stop doing it!”

“The Franky Destroy Cannon is special. You see this,” Franky revealed, “is a tracking cannon ball.”

A tracking cannon ball!? A missile that could lock onto the enemy and pursue it? That sounded impossible. What kind of technology was this?

“Quack!” Carue said.

“You’re right,” Chopper agreed, enamoured sparkles in his eyes, “even though this guy was real mean, that’s just so cool!”

Franky took off running toward the enemy. “Get back here!”

Wait what?

“That’s not tracking! You’re just chasing him!” Chopper argued.

Unable to keep up with CP9 speed, Franky’s cannon was no use. Carue ran up and stopped in front of him, glaring as angrily as he could muster at the cyborg, but reluctantly lowering and offering his saddle.

“Quack,” Carue offered. With his speed, they could be a real tracking cannon.

“You think you’re up for this, duck?” Franky hopped aboard, “Let’s do this.”

The round guy laughed. “Chapa! You think you can hit me with cannon fire? I’m a master of the six powers! Shave!”

He vanished, moving so fast he couldn’t be seen by normal eyes, but if anyone knew speed it was Carue. He calculated a trajectory and dashed, and the round CP9 agent stopped in surprise when Carue appeared in front of him, carrying on his back… “Franky Destroy Cannon!”

Two cannon balls exploded directly in the enemy’s face and sent him hurtling through another wall.

“Yes!” Franky celebrated, “Nice going there, duck.”

Carue gave an enthusiastic feathery salute. But they had celebrated too soon. Out of the smoke and dust rose a dark shape, “Iron Ball!”

The CP9 guy launched his whole body like a giant cannon ball and bowled them both down, knocking Carue and Franky out of the Tower of Law and over the white rapid waterfall beneath. Carue landed just within the shoreline, but Franky and the CP9 agent both went over the edge.

Carue got back to his feet and searched in a panic. He found them in the air, over the edge of the waterfall. The round guy suspended himself with a one-legged Sky Walk while Franky clung onto his other leg. Knowing they would both die if they fought above the chasm, the round guy flew them both towards shore, but just as they made it above ground, Franky locked himself around the guy and, “Coup De Vent!”

The compressed air cannon shot the CP9 guy down so hard he made a crater, and this time he didn’t get up again. Franky came down next, landing on his feet and making his raised double-fist pose again. “SUPER!!!”

Caught up in the excitement, Carue flapped and copied the pose with his wings. “Quoooo! Querrrrr!”

Franky laughed. “So, you like me after all, eh duck?”

Carue broke the pose and angrily squawked, looking away. He was still mad that this guy was mean to Vivi, but he was just… He was just. So. Cool!!!

Franky got the key off his opponent’s unconscious body. “Number 4. Come on, let’s go give your friends some help. There’s still more of these to find.”

Chapter Text

Vivi helped Nami stay upright as they limped further into the damp tiled room. They had not one CP9 agent to fight but two, and Nami was already out of action.

“I think it might be wearing off,” Nami said. Each step on the wet floor seemed to make her just a little less wobbly. She might have been recovering but not fast enough.

Vivi accusatorially demanded of Kalifa, “What did you do to her?”

“Isn’t unravelling such mysteries the best thing about fighting someone with powers?” Kalifa leapt at them to throw the first punch while they were vulnerable. With no other options, Vivi shoved Nami to one side and then jumped to the other. Kalifa’s fist hit the air where the two of them used to be. Nami slid along the floor and through a puddle before stopping when she hit the wall.

Vivi had only just confirmed Nami was safe when she saw a black blur enter her vision. She flinched and that instinctive movement saved her life, as Blueno’s finger pistol dug into the wall just a hair’s breadth from her head. She evaded that attack and survived for now, but he had her trapped, and she and Nami were on far sides of the room with two enemies between them.

“You shouldn’t have stopped your captain, Princess,” Blueno warned her, “This time he’s not here to save you. You caught me off guard last time, it was a fluke, and it will not happen again.”

“Thunderbolt Tempo!” There was a loud crack and a flash of light and Blueno stumbled when a bolt of lightning hit him in the back. Nami was back in the fight! Vivi took the moment of distraction to escape, and the two girls regrouped beside the central bathtub.

“Nami, you’re ok,” Vivi breathed a sigh of relief.

“It was like the effect just disappeared when you threw me,” Nami said, “There’s a trick to this woman’s powers, if we can just figure it out.”

Nami was ready to fight, but Vivi was already out of breath. That short burst of action and her injury already had her at her limits.

Kalifa laughed at the sight of the two of them next to the tub. “You know that thing there made for quite the potent weapon against my last opponent.”

Knowing Sanji, Vivi could imagine it paralysed him even before Kalifa’s powers came into play.

“I suspected one of you girls might have been… susceptible to the same. Maybe even both, you keep sneaking glances at each other, it’s adorable really,” Kalifa continued, then looked and scowled over at Blueno, “but my colleague here insisted on intruding on my games.”

“The princess is my prey,” Blueno said.

“The princess is your failure,” Kalifa shot back, “before you embarrass yourself again, why don’t you leave this to someone who knows what she’s doing.”

Kalifa launched herself at Nami, battering the clima-tact out of the way, and grabbed her. Nami shrieked at the touch, and everywhere Kalifa’a hand went grew bubbles then cleared away to turn smooth and shiny. She was turning Nami into one of those glass dolls like what she did to Sanji.

The bubbles, the shine, the wet floor that had fixed Nami’s legs by sliding over it. The answer suddenly hit Vivi. She hit the side of the bathtub with her axe dial, cutting it open and spilling the water out. It washed over Nami, pulling her out of Kalifa’s grip, then flowed the door and over the walkway outside. It would probably fall onto Sanji down below, and maybe help him too, since after that splash Nami got back upright as her normal self and not a slippery doll.

“Nami, I figured it out,” Vivi said, “The water!”

Nami patted down her wet but unharmed self. “That was a close one.”

“Owed you for the lightning,” Vivi replied.

“She has some kind of soap powers,” Nami guessed, “Everything she touches gets soapy with bubbles and turns all slippery, but it gets washed off with water. She must have left some kind of bubble trap at the door to get me when we came in.”

“Just because you know how my powers work doesn’t mean you have a chance of winning, impudent girls,” Kalifa gave a seductive flick of her hair, “In any case you’re right, I ate the bubble-bubble fruit, I can create soap bubbles that turn anything they touch smooth and glossy.”

It worked on Nami. “Wow that’s sexy. If I had a secretary like that…”

Vivi fixed a flat look at her crewmate. “Nami.”

The navigator straightened up as she remembered where was. “Cripes! What am I talking about? I sound like some dirty old man.”

“You sound like Sanji.”

“I do not!”

Kalifa scoffed at them both, annoyed Vivi had snapped Nami out of the distraction. “Stow the lovers quarrel.”

“We’re not lovers, Nami would much rather pay attention to you apparently,” Vivi sarcastically replied, “Should I give you two some privacy?”

Blueno, looking about as done with this as Vivi was, put a palm to the floor. “Let’s. Door-door.”

The floor beneath Vivi’s feet opened up and she screamed as she fell through. The last thing she heard above was Nami shouting after her in worry, “Vivi!”

Kalifa was the navigator’s problem now. Vivi’s problem was the rush of air as she plummeted a dozen metres or more. Blueno dived through behind her and sky-walked to get ahead, opening the floor below in another door and dropping Vivi into a pitch-black basement room below. She activated her jet dial boots to break the fall but still stumbled from hitting solid concrete, and then the hatch above her head shut itself and left her in the dark.

***

Franky and Carue climbed back up to the level of the kitchen where they’d been fighting before, hoping to meet back up with Chopper. Instead, they met a monster. Towering high and bellowing a horrifying guttural roar. In one of its taloned hands, it held the pale CP9 agent they’d trapped in the fridge, his body now broken and bloody. The monster threw him away into the distance.

“What the heck is that!?” Franky exclaimed.

Carue realised what when he looked up and saw the hat on the monster’s head, red with a white X in the front, just like… “Quack!”

He pointed with his wing and Franky saw it too. “You’re right, it’s that deer from your crew!”

The Chopper monster roared again and brought down its giant hand on Franky and Carue. Carue picked up the cyborg and bolted them both out of the way and back h to the Tower of Law.

“Hey, we need to stop that thing from rampaging,” Franky argued.

Carue emphatically shook his head. Chopper was his friend. Even if he was a monster right now, there was no hurting friends.

***

Vivi got her flame dial out of her pocket and released a tiny flicker, just enough to see by. She was in a storeroom with many rows of stacked high wooden barrels. She wondered what was in them.

Vivi saw something stir beyond her circle of light and dived to the side, only barely avoiding Blueno’s fist. He hit one of the barrels behind her, breaking through, and a fine black powered poured out of the hole he left behind.

“Gunpowder,” Vivi realised.

“This is the Tower of Law’s artillery storeroom,” Blueno told her, “There is only one door, which only opens from the outside. My door-door powers can let me leave, but even if you defeat me, you’ll never escape.”

“We’ll see about that.”

A new voice floated in on the air. The panicked director of CP9 over the intercom transponder snails. He could be heard everywhere on Enies Lobby. “Hey! Are you there? About time, this one’s the right transponder snail. I can’t believe I accidentally used the golden snail. Of all things, I triggered the Buster Call!”

“Are you out of your mind? Cancel it immediately!” That was Robin’s voice!

“Cancel it? Who are you to boss me around?” The director laughed, “A Buster Call? What’s wrong with that? I am the director of Cipher Pol number 9, after all. I triggered the Buster Call to safely turn you over to the government. Nothing wrong with that! No matter what else happens, in the end all the pirates will die!”

“I told you it won’t just be pirates!” Robin argued, “Once a Buster Call is invoked, the navy shows no mercy to anyone. Everything on the island will be burned beyond recognition! It’s a nightmare that won’t leave two stones standing on top of each other! You don’t know what happened in Ohara twenty years ago!”

“Is that all?” Director Spandam gloated, “the military power of a generation is riding on this. I don’t care how many soldiers it takes to stop the fools trying to save you. It doesn’t matter how many thousands die! A small sacrifice for the future! Not to mention my promotion! Your pirate friends may have broken into the Tower of Law, but they can’t stop this! As for some brainless soldiers, those idiots are better off dead!”

A beat of silence, then Robin said, “That snail is transmitting.”

The director had a fit. “Our conversation went on air! Uh- this is Straw Hat Luffy speaking…”

Robin broke through his ridiculous lie with a warning. “Everyone, evacuate the island! Enies Lobby is under a Buster Call! If you stay, you’ll die!”

“Shut up!” the sound of a slap over the intercom was unmistakable. Spandam had hit Robin. Then the line went dead.

“Monster,” Vivi said.

“The director is right,” Blueno replied, “This is the weight of justice. You’re the weakest member of your crew. No powers. No useful skills. Just a little girl out of her depth. What can you do against such power? Your friends must be dying horrible deaths right now, and you’re trapped here where you can’t help. You don’t stand a chance when already badly injured.”

“So are you,” Vivi let out a tiny laugh. “Maybe I am the weakest. I’m trying to learn to be a better fighter. Managed to get one over you last time despite it. You see, the thing about being the weakest is I know I made it this far, which means all the others can get even further. I’ve always worried too much – sometimes that means I make mistakes – but you can’t distract me by making me worry about my crew. I survived this long, and I know they will too!”

After making her declaration, Vivi shut off her flame dial and vanished into the blackness. She took care to walk softly and silently as she made her escape. In the pitch darkness, Blueno couldn’t locate her, but in turn she didn’t know where he was either. Even once her eyes adjusted to the dark, all she saw were faint murky shadows. Vivi wished she had a way of seeing with seeing. Some of those guys in Skypiea had used Mantra, she remembered the others telling her, to see anywhere on the island at once. Something like that would be very helpful right now.

Vivi knew she couldn’t let this draw out. For one, the Buster Call put a time limit on this whole rescue mission. But even without that, her injury would mean she tired too fast for a protracted battle. When she eventually made her move, she needed to end this quickly.

As Vivi walked slowly through the dark, her foot snagged on something solid on the ground and she tripped and landed with a soft thud. She felt around for what she’d tripped on and found a large iron cannon ball. This wasn’t just gunpowder storage; they kept cannons here. A whole line of them just next to where Vivi had found herself.

“Tempest kick!” Blueno’s voice sounded from the far end of the room. Her fall had given away her location. Vivi flattened herself to the floor and the deadly air slash flew by over her. Vivi felt the wind whipping past her, measured the direction, and a smile overtook her face. Not only did Blueno miss, but he also gave away where he was. She got back to her feet carrying the offending cannon ball that had tripped her and loaded it in the nearest cannon then pressed her flame dial to the fuse. “Hey over here you cow!”

The explosive shot lit up the room like daylight for a split second. Just enough time for Vivi to see Blueno bracing to catch the cannon ball in his hands. The light faded and she heard struggling grunts, then the dull thud of the cannon ball hitting the floor, and Blueno’s menacing voice. “It will take more than a cannon to break through my Iron Body technique. Shave!”

Vivi hardly had time to blink before Blueno was on her. His huge hand was around her throat, crushing her windpipe and lifting her up off the ground. His other fist reared back, ready to crack open her head.

“Your kingdom will mourn your death Princess, take comfort in your end with that,” Blueno said, “Nobody will mourn the likes of Nico Robin.”

“Of course no one will mourn her,” Vivi struggled to say, “she’s not going to die.”

She folded up to put her jet boots against Blueno’s body and set them off, knocking him back with the gust of wind and propelling herself the opposite direction. Freed again, Vivi vanished back into the darkness. She was gasping for breath but stilled her breathing so her deep gulps for air wouldn’t be so loud. She had a plan now.

Vivi hadn’t thought a single cannon shot would bring down her enemy, but she had gained another resource. She circled around the outer wall of the storeroom, taking the longest possible route to avoid detection, and eventually made her way back to the line of cannons. Arranged in a line as they were, they would make a good protective barricade. Otherwise, what she was about to do would probably kill her too. Vivi loaded the cannon on the far end of the line

In her hand she grasped a tone dial, prepped with a sound she had recorded moment before. She skidded the dial across the floor, under the tall shelves that held the barrels, aiming for the opposite corner of the room. When it reached the corner, the dial touching the wall depressed its curled apex, and out came Vivi’s earlier challenge, “Hey over here you cow!”

She heard Blueno run, and then the sound of a crack as his fist hit the solid stone wall where he thought she was. Once again, Vivi set off the cannon. Not aimed at him this time, but at the supports under the nearest row of barrels. As they lost their foundation, the row of barrels tipped, falling into the next row and the next like dominos, until they reached the far wall and Blueno was buried under the pile.

Vivi took out her flame dial and lit it, illuminating the room around her in flickering orange light. She saw movement in the pile, and when Blueno burst out and saw her his eyes went wide in fear. An open flame in her hand, and him covered head to toe in black powder and buried waist deep in a mountain of even more.

Vivi sneered at him. “Your organisation has been after Robin all her life, but you? You’re the one who took her from me.”

Vivi lobbed the flame dial at Blueno.

***

“Thunder Lance Tempo!” Nami called down one last lightning strike, blasting through Kalifa’s chest and leaving her charred and unmoving in the floor. Nami limped over to her body – she had taken some bad hits herself in that fight – and retrieved the key. “Number six. Damn it.”

The number two they needed was probably with the one Vivi was fighting right now. From somewhere below, and explosive BOOM made the whole Tower of Law shudder.

Nami rushed out of the room back to the stairs, where she found Franky and Carue on their way up. “Hey you, did you see where your deer-gorilla went?”

“Chopper?” Nami had seen him, his rampage had come through the room where she was fighting Kalifa. “Right. I’ve never seen him transform like that before… never mind that right now, I have to find Vivi. She and that horns guys fell to the bottom of the tower, and that explosion just now came from below.”

Carue quacked in fright that Vivi might be hurt and eagerly joined Nami to look while Franky tagged along with them. On the ground floor they found Sanji up on his feet again, the doll effect apparently worn off.

“Sanji,” Nami called, out of breath from running down all those stairs, “We’re looking for…”

“For Vivi right?” Sanji asked, “She fell right past where I was, and that’s bastard with the door powers shut the way behind her before I could follow and help. Did you hear that explosion? What if she’s hurt?”

“There must be a way down to a basement or something.” Nami led the way, finding the stairs down and searching the lower levels for where Vivi could have ended up, until she found a heavy wooden door that had been blown off its hinges. It was a room full of ash and flaming cinders. Everything inside had been obliterated, leaving only a pile of broken burning wooden fragments in one corner, and on the far side of the room a row of cannons that had been twisted and mangled by the blast. Behind the cannons, soot covering her face and hair and clothes but remarkably unharmed, emerged their princess.

“Vivi!” Nami and Sanji and Carue all rush led to meet her as she climbed out from behind the cannons. “Are you alright? Where’s that guy you were fighting?”

Vivi pointed at the burning pile. “Under there somewhere. Not very smart of him, letting me bring a flame dial into a room full of gunpowder.”

Understanding and a little awe came over Nami. “That’s… wow. I’ll summon some rain to put out that fire and we can get his key.”

Nami started raising her clima-tact, but Vivi stopped her, watching the pile. After a second it burst open and Blueno climbed out. He was charred all over, his clothes torn and falling to pieces, bleeding from a hundred places, but he staggered out of the fire and with the last of his strength he rushed at Vivi too fast for any of the others to stop him before he reached her. “Finger pistol!”

Vivi caught it in her palm. For a moment all her crewmates strangled a gasp of shock. That attack should have gone straight through her hand and into her body, but somehow it stopped.

“How?” Blueno asked in disbelief, “You aren’t strong enough to block that attack.”

“No, like you said, I’m weak,” Vivi replied, “the reason you can’t beat me, even with all your strength, is because you keep giving me the weapons I need to win. Finger Pistol hits with the force of a bullet, right? You could normally handle that, but right now you’re barely staying on your feet. Still think you can take it?”

“What?” Blueno stumbled a step back.

Vivi shoved her palm in his face, revealing the shell she had hidden there, “IMPACT!”

Blueno was blown off his feet, falling prone on his back with glassy unconscious eyes. Franky went and searched him. “Here, key number 2.”

The recoil from the impact knocked Vivi to her knees, hissing under her breath from pain she tried to keep hidden. Nami rushed to her side. “Vivi!”

Next to them Sanji started gushing. “Vivi that was amazing! Don’t even listen to that guy calling you weak, you beat him all by yourself. You’re as strong as you are beautiful, and-”

“Sanji!” Nami snapped at him to shut him up. She tore a strip of cloth off the hem of her skirt and fashioned it into a sling which she tenderly wrapped over Vivi’s arm and took the impact dial from her hand. “Vivi, you’ve broken your arm.”

Vivi took deep breaths, winding through the pain, “It’s worth it to save Robin. Whatever it takes, right?”

“I know. I just don’t like seeing you hurt.” Nami helped Vivi back to her feet. Carue came up to her with a worried quack.

“I hope you didn’t get in too much trouble without me, Carue,” Vivi said while petting him with her good hand.

Franky answered on Carue’s behalf, “Me and duck here made a super team when we took down Fukuro.”

“Who?”

“The round one.”

“I see,” Vivi said, “Are you two friends now?”

Carue gave her an apologetic quack.

“No need to be sorry Carue,” Vivi assured him, “Even though me and Franky got off to a bad start, I think he’s cool too.”

The others filled her in on the situation. There were two keys still to get, now that they had number two, they could free Zoro and Sogeking. And a new complication; Chopper had turned into a giant rampaging monster.

Vivi took all this in and started giving instructions. “Give all the keys we have except number two to Carue. Carue, you’re the fastest, so I need you to find the passageway to the Bridge of Hesitation and bring those keys to Robin.”

Carue saluted with his wing then dashed away with the keys.

“Franky,” Vivi continued, “someone has to take down Chopper. If you knock him into the ocean, he’ll lose the ability to transform and return to normal size. Get him out as soon as that happens. Do not let him drown.

Nami, take key number two, you and I will free Mr. Bushido and Sogeking. And Sanji.”

“Yes, my princess!”

“Even after we unlock the cuffs, Mr. Bushido can’t take on two of CP9 at once. You go help him.”

“Oh,” Sanji sounded disappointed, “I’m only coming to protect you ladies, not rescue Moss Head.”

“When this is over you can rub in his face how he needed you to save him,” Vivi offered.

Sanji considered that for a moment. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

They moved out, running back up the stairs to find where the fighting had gone. The battle was taking over the ruin of what used to be an indoor garden. Chopper was in there too, huge and monstrous and rampaging against the two CP9 agents in equal measure as he was against Zoro and Sogeking.

Franky shouted for everyone to clear out then readied his air cannon. “Coup De Vent!”

The blast of air pushed Chopper back and out of a hole he’d broken in the wall. His deep, guttural roar receded as he fell until he splashed into the water below. Franky ran and jumped out after him.

Zoro shouted at Franky as he ran past. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing!? That’s our crewmate you’re attacking!”

“Not to worry Mr. Bushido,” Vivi and Nami arrived with the key and undid the cuffs trapping Zoro and Sogeking together. “All part of the plan.”

Chapter Text

Carue was getting frantic. It seemed like he had searched everywhere and couldn’t find the way down to the passage. He was running out of time to get to Robin.

“Hey duck!” From around the corner came Franky carrying a tiny and unconscious Chopper. “I know where the passage is. That kid, Chimney, the one who’s always with old Kokoro, she found the way and told me. I’ll take you there.”

Finally, the way through. Franky got up on Carue’s back and started giving directions. At the entrance to the underground passage, they left Chopper with Kokoro and then charged forward. Robin was waiting.

***

While Zoro readied himself to fight his long-necked opponent, Vivi grabbed Sogeking’s arm. “With me Sogeking, we’re going for the roof.”

They made to run out of the room, but the other CP9 agent – the wolf man – was still in their way. But then the strangest thing happened. Rather than attack them, he took out his key and offered it to Vivi. “Here, you can have it. Go save Nico Robin.”

Vivi narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

“The truth is,” the wolf man said, “Robin is my long-lost sister. She doesn’t know because we were separated when she was only a baby. I don’t really want her to die.”

“As if.” How stupid did he think she was? Vivi let a loud, sharp, whistle, and that was her prince’s cue. Sanji burst in and kicked the wolf across the length of the room.

“Damned mutt, trying to trick a lady,” Sanji said, and then shouted across the room at Zoro, “Hey Moss Head, I’ll fight this one, since you can’t handle them both alone!”

Zoro called back, “Just shut up and stay out of the way, Crap Cook!” And got back to fighting the big-nosed giraffe man.

Vivi looked out through the broken walls and saw two vast metal shapes moving in the distance.

“The Gates of Justice are opening, we’re almost out of time,” she realised, “Sogeking, the roof!”

She tried to take him by the arm again, but thus he wouldn’t budge, bowing his head in apology after needing to be saved again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get his key myself.”

“We all have things we can and can’t do,” Sanji replied, “I’ll get this key, and you go do what only you can. So long as you’re here we’re sure to save Robin.”

As understanding came to Sogeking, he relented to Vivi pulling him away. Before she and Sogeking left she called back into the room. “Once you get those keys, bring them to meet us at the top!”

“Yes, my princess!” Sanji replied.

“Got it!” Zoro said at the same time.

Vivi and Sogeking ran up the levels to the roof. Looking over the crenelations, the Bridge of Hesitation was only just visible in the distance, with angry seas the whole stretch between.

“Once the guys win their fights, we won’t be able to run all the way over there fast enough to save Robin. We need to get these keys to her right away,” Vivi offered Sogeking key number 2. “You get one practice shot. We know this key doesn’t open her cuffs, so we can afford to lose it. The other two must make it across. Can you do it?”

Sogeking loaded the key in his kabuto slingshot and pulled it back, lining up a shot and considering the angles. “It would be difficult. Something this light is very susceptible to wind conditions, and with a target that far away, the wind could be very different over there than it is over here. It’s risky.”

“Then what if we launch something bigger?” Vivi wondered aloud, “something more resistant to the wind, something that can course correct itself on the way if need be.”

“Like what?” Sogeking asked.

“Like me,” Vivi said. “Launch me at the bridge, I’ll carry the keys, and I can use my jet dials to get back on course if something goes wrong.”

“The speeds you’d be landing at…”

“I’ll use the dials to slow my landing too, did it when I fell 100 feet to the basement earlier.”

“You’d have to get it exactly right,” Sogeking worried, “Too little deceleration and you would shatter your legs on impact, too much and you fall short and drown in the ocean. This is crazy dangerous!”

“Usopp!” Vivi took him by the shoulder and looked him intently in the eyes. “I need you.”

He took a deep breath and gave a resolute nod.

“I can do it.” He produced a long length of elastic, as wide as his whole body and as long as the width of the two, and tightly rolled to be carried, “we need attach either end of this to the corners of the tower.”

Vivi took one end while Sogeking took the other and once the huge slingshot was in place, Vivi sat herself in the middle.

Sanji arrived on the roof and handed over his key with a bow and flourish, “Key number one, my lady.”

Zoro arrived next, key in hand, but withheld it when he saw Vivi sitting in the slingshot. “What are you doing in that?”

“Getting launched over the gap to deliver these keys.”

“Are you insane?”

“Probably,” Vivi said, outstretching her hand expectantly, “Key. Gimme.”

“Heh, you really are a match for Luffy,” he gave her the key and Vivi stuffed both into her coat pocket.

Across the way, the Gates of Justice had opened fully to allow the Buster Call fleet to enter. It was now or never.

“Ready?” She asked.

“Ready,” Sogeking confirmed and pulled the slingshot back.

***

“Watch closely, this next step will engrave my name in history!” Spandam taunted Robin. They were so close to the threshold now.

He dragged her along the Bridge of Hesitation by the collar. She had stopped moving at all of her own volition. If he wanted to take her, he could drag her along the ground every step, while she clutched at every bump in the cobblestones to slow him down. Her crew was coming to save her. They were coming.

Spandam’s grip on Robin went slack in shock when something thudded onto the bridge from out of the sky. No, not something, someone. Vivi landed and skidded on her dial boots, kicking up sparks as they scraped the stone ground. She lost her balance when she hit an unlevel stone and and tripped and fell and rolled to a stop.

“What?” Spandam looked at Vivi in disbelief as she slowly rose to her feet, “How?”

She looked half dead. One arm in a sling, both knees skinned from scraping them in her landing, limping with every step, and completely covered in soot. But there was a fire glowing in her eyes as she doggedly made her way towards Robin.

Spandam went to get in her way. “There’s no way you can stop me now!”

Vivi wordlessly whipped out her peacock slasher and sliced it across the director’s face. He went down wailing in pain.

“Baby,” Vivi muttered, “That barely scratched you.”

“Princess…” Robin sniffled and felt tears welling in her eyes. Vivi had gotten so hurt to reach her. That poor wonderful girl. More than just for herself, Robin had to live to make things up to Vivi.

The marines at the dock on the far end of the bridge saw the director go down. They started running closer to intervene, but they were too far to do anything. At the nearer end, Franky and Carue arrived out of the underground tunnel. They stopped when they saw Vivi. “How did you get over here?”

“Flew,” Vivi reached in her inside pocket and took out two keys, “you’ve got the rest of these?”

Franky got three more keys out of Carue’s saddle bag and handed them to Vivi. She knelt in front of Robin clutching all five keys and started trying them on Robin’s cuffs. One, then the next, then the next, then at last a click as they unlocked. Vivi flung them away into the ocean and pulled Robin into a one-armed hug.

“Robin!” Vivi squeezed her as tight as one arm allowed and pressed her face into Robin’s shoulder and loudly wept, all her hurts in the last hours – inside and out – catching up to the princess all at once.

Her strength returned with the seastone gone and Robin returned Vivi’s hug with an eight-armed embrace, comforting her as she curled up like a child in Robin’s arms and cried.

“I’m ok Vivi,” Robin promised, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Robin freely cried in return. She never thought she could be so loved. She never thought she deserved it.

“I’m so sorry,” Vivi whispered between sobs, “I said such terrible things to you. I’m so sorry.”

“I said things I shouldn’t have too,” Robin admitted, “If you’ll forgive me, I’ll forgive you.”

Vivi sniffled and nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “Robin… you called me Vivi.”

Robin softly returned her smile. “I suppose I did.”

The dock guards finally got up the stairs to reach them at the same time Spandam staggered back to his feet. He pointed at Robin and Vivi and ordered, “Shoot them! Before they escape!”

Robin scowled at the arriving soldiers and extra arms began sprouting from their bodies, grasping them around the necks and pushing their rifles aside so they couldn’t aim. “None of you will lay a hand on Vivi. Clutch!”

With a sickening snap, the soldiers collapsed with dislocated limbs and broken spines and rifles cracked in half. Spandam looked around in dismay as his backup crumbled.

“I’ll do it myself then, useless,” he reached for his sword, but a tiny metal projectile hit the side of his head and downed him once again.

The projectile clattered on the ground next to Vivi. A tiny silver key with the number 2 engraved on it. Vivi let out an irony-tinged laugh. “He could have made the shot after all.”

Robin looked the direction it had come from and saw him triumphantly posing on top of the Tower of Law. “Long nose?”

“He’s going by Sogeking at the moment,” Vivi informed her.

Spandam tried getting up again, but Robin grew another six hands to slap him in the face and knock him back down. It felt good to hurt him after everything he did. She didn’t intend to let him so much as stand again.

Vivi took out a mini transponder and made a call. “Sogeking, I got the cuffs off her. Robin is free. Now get the others over here to the bridge.”

“Wait,” Robin knelt back down next to her to say into the snail, “Thank you.”

The voice that came out was unmistakably Usopp, but affecting a falsely deep voice. “Save you thanks until this is over, for the people who worked hard to get those keys.”

Vivi checked on the horizon and saw the approaching white of navy sails. “The fleet is almost here. We need to move fast.”

Franky nodded, “If we commandeer one of those navy ships, I can make it go.”

Before they could move, they heard the first cannon shot and a moment later the top of the tower of law exploded as artillery fire broke open the stone walls. There was silence over the transponder.

“Is anyone there?” Vivi desperately asked, “Are you alright?”

After an agonising second the response came. “We’re alright! Meet you there soon.”

The transponder shut off. Their last goal would be to take a ship. The dock guards who had come to help Spandam were dealt with, but the crew of the waiting ship still had to be beaten before they could commandeer it. Franky asked them, “When we take that ship, can I count on you two in the fight?”

Robin nodded. “We’re already wanted criminals. If stealing a navy ship is our way out, then let’s do it.”

Vivi tried to stand, “I can…” only halfway upright, she fell back to her knees.

Robin and Carue crowded to help her up, but out of the mist a terrible sight greeted them. The Buster Call fleet, ten warships all many decks taller than the little escort ship they were stealing, closed in around them. Dozens upon dozens of cannon shots rang out and the artillery fell upon the main island of Enies Lobby. The Bridge of Hesitation was spared for now, no doubt because Robin was here, and the navy still hoped to capture her alive. That would only spare them minutes. There was no escaping the Buster Call. They were too late.

“Robin?” Vivi tugged lightly on Robin’s sleeve to get her attention and draw her from her thoughts, “You’re shaking.”

“We came so close,” Robin said. For the first time in twenty years, freedom has been in her grasp.

“Don’t give up just yet,” Vivi promised her, “We can still do this. Don’t forget who’s fighting for you.”

From the far end of the bridge, they heard a distant voice carried on the wind, “Gum Gum, Giant Pistol!”

At the end of the bridge, inside the first support pillar where the stairs led down to the undersea passage, a giant fist broke open the wall from the inside. Luffy was still there fighting Rob Lucci. But since when could he do that? The rubber captain bounced out and above the nearest warship while his giant fist deflated and his foot grew to enormous proportions, “Giant Axe!”

He brought it down on the ship, destroying the deck and cracking the hull. That was one of the ten warships out of action at least. “Giant Whip!”

That giant leg swung around again and knocked over every mast on the ship. Vivi was right, Luffy and his crew had achieved the impossible before. Robin wasn’t allowed to give up yet.

The other warships targeted that one where Luffy was fighting and fired upon it, not caring in the least for their own soldiers or the CP9 agent on board. That was the Buster Call. No regard for life, just pure destruction. They just had to hope Luffy got out.

On the bridge ahead, Spandam had crawled back to his feet. He really was a glutton for punishment. He called on the remaining crewmen on his escort ship to stand against the pirates. Franky put himself in between the soldiers and Vivi and Robin. The two of them were vulnerable, especially with Vivi out of commission, and his metal cyborg body was not.

“Hand over those two women, Cutty Flam,” Spandam commanded of him, “If you do, I’ll overlook your crimes. Why protect them? You’re not even a pirate. Do you really trust these treasonous criminals over the World Government? If you cross us, just like Tom you will d-eeeghh!”

He was levelled again by Franky’s steel fist. “I’ll give you this Spanda, you’re a real first-class creep. I told you I’m betting everything on these guys. If I’d had the strength back then, I would have saved Mr. Tom then. But the Straw Hats are don’t care that Enies Lobby was meant to be impenetrable, they’re taking on the whole world to protect a comrade. That’s a commitment I can get behind.”

Spandam twitched from his place flattened into the ground. The wretch had been knocked off his feet by four different people in the span of a few minutes, Robin would have felt pity if he had been anyone else.

Franky turned his weapons on the rest of the navy soldiers. Vivi tried to stand again but still couldn’t. Robin put one arm around Vivi’s shoulders and the other under her legs and hoisted her up to carry her princess, “You just stay still. It’s my turn to protect you.”

Chapter Text

Franky and Robin brought down the navy sailors with ease. Franky knocked them down with great iron fists. Robin didn’t need her arms free to fight, even while carrying Vivi, her phantom limbs grew across the ship to break bones and steal weapons. And even Carue ran ahead and headbutted one marine over the deck and into the sea.

They had a ship ready to go now, they just needed their crew to arrive. They were expecting someone to come running down from the bridge. The last thing anyone thought would happen was old lady Kokoro revealing herself as a mermaid by leaping out of the sea carrying everyone with her. Franky examined the pirates when Kokoro dropped them on the deck.

“They’re all half passed out from shock,” he said, “Didn’t swallow much water.”

“No kidding,” Vivi said, looking over at Kokoro and unsure how to process the revelation. She wasn’t what one normally expected of a mermaid. Instead of a singular fish tail, she had two flippered legs. Legend often only approximated truth, so Vivi supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised that mermaids were more complicated than the sailors’ tales would say.

The guys on the ground started spluttering awake, just as shocked as before when they confirmed that Kokoro was real and what they’d seen underwater wasn’t an illusion.

“Mermaids are real? But I’ve never heard of a mermaid with feet,” Sogeking remarked.

“At age thirty, a mermaid’s tail splits in two,” Kokoro said, “we’re a mysterious species. If you go to fishman island someday you’ll understand.”

Sanji collapsed in his knees, weeping. “I protest! Mermaids are… They’re more…”

“She’s an old lady with a fish tail,” Vivi said, “did you really think there no old mermaids?”

He looked over and finally caught sight of Vivi being carried by Robin, instantly cheering his disappointment. “Vivi! Robin!”

He sprinted to embrace them, and Robin sidestepped out of the way, causing Sanji to crash face first into the ship’s mast.

“Careful,” Robin chided, “Vivi’s in a delicate state, you’ll crush her acting like that.”

“Robin it’s not that bad,” Vivi protested.

Nami approached them more carefully, along with Chopper sitting on her shoulder and just as immobilised and Vivi.

“Thank goodness we made it in time.” Nami hugged them both, tightly but still soft, careful of Vivi’s injuries. “You’re all right Robin.”

“All thanks to you.”

“Is Vivi ok?”

Robin nodded, “I’ll make sure of it.”

Nami finally released them both. “It’s good to see you two have finally made up.”

From his perch flopped limply over Nami’s shoulder, Chopper said to the princess, “Don’t worry Vivi, I can’t move either. I’m not really sure what happened.”

Vivi couldn’t help a small laugh. “I think we both pushed ourselves a bit too hard today Tony-kun.”

Zoro had gone up on the bridge to see what the Buster Call warships were doing and soon came back down.

“Enies Lobby is nearly levelled, but they’re not attacking the bridge. I’m guessing there are orders not to kill Robin. Once they’re done on the rest of the island, they’ll deploy soldiers here to fight us.” Zoro looked over at Franky. “Sorry about your guys.”

Franky looked out over to Enies Lobby. It seemed impossible anyone could survive the burning hellscape the island had turned into. The Franky Family and the Galley-La shipwrights, all the people who had come to help, the situation seemed hopeless for them. But Franky insisted otherwise, “They’ll find a way out, they’re not my guys for nothing.”

Zoro gave an understanding nod then came down onto the ship to talk to Vivi. “Where’s Luffy?”

“At the far end of the bridge when we last saw him,” Vivi answered, “Inside the first support pillar. He’s still fighting Rob Lucci.”

Zoro nodded. “Then the rest of us have to fight the enemy off here and defend our escape route until he can get to us. When the warships turn this way, I have a feeling the biggest storm is yet to come.”

As the battleships turned about and headed for the bridge, the crew made sure to get off their stolen ship. The navy would be targeting them, and they didn’t want their escape route destroyed in the fighting. Kokoro and the kid Chimney stayed aboard to play the role of hostages to keep the navy from attacking there.

From atop the Bridge of Hesitation, the seam mist turned orange as it captured the light of Enies Lobby burning.

“Is it right for people to die so easily?” Nami quietly asked.

Robin shook her head. “They’re scratching a name off the world map, that’s all a Buster Call is. No thought or feeling to anything else. You can’t see people on maps.”

Below their feet, the crew could feel each time the bridge shuddered with the force of Luffy and Lucci battling in the first support. Then a greater shockwave when cannon fire hit the bridge in between and broke the connection from the first support tower the rest of the bridge. They were trapped, separated from Luffy.

The announcement of order between the vessels was broadcast on loudspeakers. They didn’t seem to care that the crew would hear too. “All vessels, take positions around the Bridge of Hesitation. Presence of the pirates confirmed atop the bridge, including priority targets Nico Robin and Nefertari Vivi.”

“They’re going to try to take Robin and Vivi again,” Sanji said.

Nami got her clima-tact ready for another fight. “We won’t let them.”

Vivi tried to push out of Robin’s grip, though she still barely had the strength to move. “Let me down. I can help fight. I’ll just be in the way with you carrying me around.”

“You can help by staying there where I know you’re safe,” Robin said.

The guys ran up to the broken edge of the bridge and shouted across to Luffy, telling him they were all here, they had freed Robin, now all their captain had to do was win and they could all escape together.

The warships arrayed themselves surrounding the bridge, and the loudspeaker rang out again. “Junior officers and enlisted men, stay at your posts. Only captains and lieutenants will engage the enemy. Our elite 200 will crush them.”

“That’s 200 men with the same rank as that Smoker guy,” Sogeking pointed out. Vivi had only met that marine captain the once in Alabasta and he’d agreed to stay out of the way rather than capture the pirates, but the others had told Vivi about their misadventure and near capture in Loguetown in East Blue. Now, here, there were two hundred men that were as dangerous.

Zoro drew his three swords, “Sending a force like that just proves how scared of us they are.”

At that point they noticed that Sanji was missing. Where would he go at a time like this? But there was no time to wonder, as the order came down from the navy ships. “Attack!”

The navy men surrounded and swarmed them. Something like half of them it seemed were power users. One would break his body into tiny spheres to evade attack. Another turned one of Zoro’s swords to rust, forcing him to steal a cutlass of an officer to make a new third.

Zoro swung and cut down foe after foe. Franky unleashed every built in weapon he had. Sogeking fired off exploding stars and metal studs into the enemy as they jump from their ships. Nami called down thunder and lightning. Carue bit and scratched however he could. And Robin grew her phantom arms to stagger and break the foes that came for them. Vivi looked backward over Robin’s shoulder from her place being carried, she had one good arm at least, and any naval soldier who tried try to sneak up behind got a flash of her flame dial. The flow of enemies was never ending.

As they threatened to be overwhelmed, suddenly the assault stopped, and the navy silenced. Another wall of the first support crashed open. Through the smoke and rubble, the crew could hardly see what happened, but the ripple of shock that went across the navy was a source of hope. Confirmed when the loudspeaker spoke again, the voice of broadcast wavering and fearful. “C-calling all ships! The pirate Straw Hat Luffy has just defeated Rob Lucci of CP9!”

Following the announcement, their captain’s voice carried on the wind, Luffy reaching for the crewmate he nearly lost. “Let’s go back together! Robin!!!”

“Luffy…” Robin breathlessly sniffled, tears welling in her eyes again.

In amongst the chaos of battle, Vivi spotted Usopp unmasked in the smoke. He saw her looking, gave her a serious nod, then reattached his mask. “Your captain just needed a little push.”

He and Luffy must have spoken across the gap, giving the captain the strength to push through. Vivi hadn’t even seen with how the fighting had kept them separated. She looked over the gap to find Luffy. He was on the ground inside the support pillar, struggling to rise but he just couldn’t make himself move. He’d used up all his strength.

“Nami,” Vivi called out, “he can’t make it to the ship.”

The navigator took in the situation and understood. “Right. We’ll bring the ship to him. Everyone, get aboard! We’ll swing around and…”

She was stopped when the artillery fire started again. The cannon balls rained down on their escape ship, which snapped in half and sank. It looked for a moment like their friends aboard were gone too, until out of the fire came Sanji carrying them.

“Where have you been?” Nami demanded of him.

“Had some business to attend to,” was his answer. He joined them in the fight, but with their escape ship gown their hope was gone with it. The Straw Hat crew were backed closer and closer to the edge. The warship cannons tore the bridge down piece by piece until the crew were huddled together on the second support pillar, with Luffy still stuck inside the first. Still trying to lift himself from the ground and still unable. There was nowhere left to retreat.

“Vivi, if this is it,” Robin said.

“It won’t be,” Vivi insisted.

“If it is,” Robin repeated, “it was my greatest joy to be shipmates with you. It wouldn’t give up these last moments with our crew, not even in exchange for a thousand years of life alone.”

Even Vivi’s hope was fading. She was almost ready to resign herself to the end, at least it would be here with the friends she loved more than anything. But then came a voice on the wind, carried in the sea breeze, she could barely make out the words.

Usopp whipped off his mask and told them all. “We have to jump in the sea! There’s still one more crewmate! She came to save us! Jump!”

The others looked like they thought he’d gone and, but Vivi strained her ears and listened. That distant voice, the sound calling them from below…

“Do as he says!” Vivi ordered, “Jump!”

Robin looked at her with concern. “Vivi?”

“Robin, do you trust me?”

“With my life.”

“Then take a leap with me. Jump.”

Robin made her arms sprout on the first support and pull Luffy over the edge. Then she held Vivi even tighter and ran for the drop and leapt. They saw it coming out of the mist as they fell. The little round hull with a sheep’s face on the prow. It was Merry! Merry came to save them one last time.

They only had the barest glimpse before they plunged into the water. The cold enveloped Vivi and she lost her grip on Robin in the current, then strong arms were around her waist and Sanji was pulling her up into the air and onto the deck. She saw nearby, Franky was doing the same for Robin. A second later, Nami hauled Luffy out of the sea. She set him on the deck next to Vivi, the captain and first mate both totally incapacitated, trusting their crew to see them home.

“Whew that was close, if I hadn’t got thrown over there” Luffy said, “Hey Robin, thanks for h-mmm.”

One of her limbs clamped his mouth shut. “No, thank you. All of you.”

Nami took charge of the ship, shouting orders to take the ship through the tight formation of their foes. The cannon fire boomed around them, but none of the shots would hit. Behind the fleet, the Gates of Justice closed again, interrupting the currents and turning the sea to treacherous whirlpools that the bulky warships could not navigate. They began to crash together as they tried to compensate. Sanji grew a self-satisfied grin at that development. It was him. That was what he had disappeared to do.

Nami made the Merry dance on the sea, riding the dangerous rapids to speeds their little ship was never meant to reach and whisking them out of the grip of the fleet, out of the range of their cannon fire. Away to the stretching horizon, their Jolly Roger flown high and whipping in the wind. In defiance of death, in defiance of fate, in defiance of the whole world. Flying away to freedom.

When at last they came to a stop, surrounded by empty and calm sea, the plume of smoke from Enies Lobby was a mere speck on the horizon. Still lying on her back unmoving, Vivi took deep breaths of the cool air and relieve filled her lungs. They did it.

Beside her, Luffy laughed up at the sky. “We did it!”

Vivi started laughing with him. She put out her one good hand and Luffy slapped it in a high five.

“We did it!” She shouted out too.

The rest of the crew looked down amusedly at them, stuck lying together but both laughing so hard they cried.

Franky said to them, “You guys are going to be in real trouble now after embarrassing the world government like that.”

“We just took back what they took from us,” Luffy said.

Vivi couldn’t help another fit of giggles, and Luffy joined beside her. They had declared war on the whole world, faced down a whole army and the world’s deadliest assassins, all for the sake of one crewmate. And they won. They won! Not even the might of the whole world could break Vivi’s new family apart.

Chapter Text

The sea around Merry was calm and there wasn’t a single navy sail in sight. The ship softly rocked as the crew recovered their breath and attended to their injuries. When Luffy was able to move again, he clambered himself up onto Merry’s figurehead, which was always his special seat. “We only escaped because you came to save us. Thanks Merry.”

Chopper replaced Vivi’s makeshift sling with a proper cast for her broken arm. Nami sat next to her and held her other hand for Vivi to squeeze every time her pain flared while Chopper applied the covering. As soon as he was done, Chopper was off to the others. The whole crew needed the doctor’s attention for one thing or another. Nami helped Vivi stand up again with a teasing half-smirk in her lips. “You know Vivi, I believe you owe me a kiss.”

Every thought of hurt and injury suddenly fled Vivi’s mind, smothered by the heat she felt in her reddening cheeks. “I just said I could… that doesn’t mean I was going to.”

“Awww,” Nami feigned disappointment, “I’ve been waiting this whole time for that.”

As Nami let go to let Vivi stand by herself, the princess thought, what the hell, why not? She leaned over quickly and pecked Nami’s cheek. Nami’s half-smirk faltered in surprise then opened into a real smile. Vivi blushed and looked at her feet.

“Alright, I’ll take it,” Nami said.

Luffy and Chopper went and talked to Sogeking, who had put his mask back on, asking him where Usopp went. He answered that Usopp went ahead in a small boat. Vivi wondered if those two would ever guess who was actually behind that mask.

A quick search of the ship revealed nobody else was on board. “There’s really nobody here,” Nami said, “How did Merry get here? And who was that we heard talking?”

“Merry spoke to us!” Luffy excitedly concluded, “Right Merry? Say something.”

“It seems impossible but…” Nami started but trailed off.

“But there was definitely a voice,” Vivi finished for her.

Another ship appeared on the horizon. They feared for a moment that the navy had followed, but the sail soon revealed the Galley-La shipyard logo. Mayor Iceberg had taken his own ship out to follow them, and aboard they saw the other shipwrights and the Franky family and the two giants that had changed sides to help them.

Luffy hopped up front in excitement. “Ice guy! You rescued everyone!”

Franky allowed himself a tiny laugh. “Good job, Idiotburg.”

“What a crazy lot,” Iceberg said, “You really took on the world government and won.”

“Yeah we- Whoa!” Luffy’s answer was cut off by a sickening crack as Merry split in half and the fore listed down, the figurehead almost in the water, “Merry!”

Vivi noticed the look of dismayed shock on Robin’s face and realised nobody had broken the news to her yet. So it fell to Vivi to tell her, “The shipwrights told us Merry was unfit to sail again. I hadn’t realised just how close to breaking she was.”

For the rest of the crew there was hurt but resignation. They knew what had been coming for Merry.

Luffy begged Iceberg for help. “Ice guy! You guys are all shipwrights. Please help Merry! She’s not just a ship, she’s our friend. And it was Merry who rescued us just now!”

Iceberg shook his head. “Then it’s time to let her rest.”

He told them how Merry had come to be sailing again. How he had found her among the debris from Aqua Laguna and heard a voice from the ship begging to help her sail again, one more time. He had obliged even though he knew Merry was doomed.

“That she hasn’t sunk is nothing short of a miracle,” Iceberg said, “In all my years as shipwright I have never seen a ship so dedicated. She must have lived a splendid life.”

Everyone understood, this was how it ended. There was no other choice. As much as it would hurt to part ways, the best thing they could do for their beloved Merry was say goodbye.

The Straw Hats all got in a small boat launched from Iceberg’s ship. He handed down a burning torch for Luffy, and the crew all stood to watch and see their friend on her way.

“Everyone ready?” Luffy asked, and each of them nodded to him in understanding. It was time.

“Merry, the sea floor is dark and lonely, so we’re going to see you off.” Luffy put the flame against Merry’s hull, and the wood caught, spreading across the timbers to engulf the whole ship. As the flames grew higher, motes of ash began to fall around them like snow. “You carried us a long time. Thank you Merry.”

Each of them grieved their own way. Zoro and Sanji and Robin kept up what stoicism they could on the outside. Nami and Chopper openly wept. From behind Sogeking’s mask, the trails of tears were clear to see dripping out. Carue held up a wing in salute. Vivi could feel tears welling in her eyes, but they hadn’t yet begun to fall.

In Vivi’s mind she was cast back to the first moment she was welcomed onto Merry as a guest, a friend, and though she didn’t know it yet, a crewmate. The crew had promised to bring her home and, seeing the frayed nerves that always lived under Vivi’s skin, Nami had brought her a cool drink and said, “Don’t your worries just melt away on a ship like this?”

They truly had. When she was young, being royalty meant she was always under scrutiny. Everything she did reflected on the people’s faith in their rulers. Vivi loved her country, but it was an inescapable pressure to be a princess. For two years in the Baroque Works, Vivi had to look over her shoulder every second out of fear that her true identity would be discovered. Aboard the Going Merry was her first place and time with no expectation or judging eyes where Vivi could just be herself.

“Wish I’d written a speech,” Vivi murmured.

Next to her, Robin put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Whatever words are in your heart, I’m sure she would like to hear them.”

“Merry, I…” Vivi doubled over in a hiccupping sob and the tears she had been holding back fell like rain, spilling from her eyes and down her cheeks and making her sniffle as they clogged her nose. A proper princess would have known what to say. She would have given a beautiful eulogy, straight from the heart, that didn’t leave a dry eye among her audience. Everyone would gone home talking about the poise and dignity of the future Nefertari queen as she cried a single perfect pretty tear with her back straight and her eyes forward. Vivi, just Vivi, wanted to curl up and scream for the friend she had to lose. “You safeguarded all our dreams at sea. You carried us so far. We should have looked after you better.”

Then an ethereal voice came to them, floating on air. “I’m sorry. I wanted to carry you even further. I wanted to have adventures with you forever, but I…”

Vivi’s tears fell freely as she listened. She was allowed to cry if she needed to, and Merry was worth crying over. Merry really did talk to them. She really was their friend, and so much more than just a ship.

“We’re the ones who should be sorry, Merry!” Luffy called back. The captain finally broke down, wailing as he apologised to the ship he loved, and the one crewmate he failed to save. “I’m no good at steering so I crashed you into things and I ripped up the sails! And Zoro and Sanji are stupid and broke all kinds of stuff! Usopp tried to fix you but he’s no good at it! We’re the ones who are sorry!”

“Even so,” Merry whispered to them on the wind, her final words to her crew before she sank beneath the waves, “I was happy. Thank you for caring about me. I was truly happy.”

Chapter Text

Upon the top of the world, the ruling five elders deliberated upon the recent disastrous news.

“The Princess would never accept such an offer. Even if she did, that crew has been troublesome, but not nearly impressive enough to fill such a position.”

“A Nefertari in rebellion is not acceptable. Taking her and Nico Robin by force has thus far failed. But a cooperative Nefertari line has been an asset for many centuries. Worthwhile enough for a final chance to return to the fold.”

“And if she refuses?”

“She has much to gain from cooperation, and more to lose from refusal. This is the only way she can safeguard what she sacrificed so much for. If Nefertari refuses, she will soon be destroyed, we have more dangerous assets than CP9 at our disposal. We will have to go with our second candidate for the position instead and hope he proves tractable.”

***

On the ship back to Water 7, Vivi passed out from exhaustion. All of the Straw Hats did, but they would wake again within the next hours, before the ship reached the island. Princess Vivi and Captain Luffy had to be carried unconscious off the ship and up to the hastily prepared dormitory in Galley-La shipyard that Iceberg let the crew stay in.

The crew watched over those two in shifts, making sure someone would be with them when they woke up. At the end of the day of their return, Robin volunteered to spend the first night with Vivi. It was calming, after the day of hope and heartbreak, to sit beside the sleeping princess and watch the peaceful and steady rise and fall of her breathing.

In the dark quiet of night, Robin found herself talking to the sleeping princess. “I’m not sure if you can hear me, Vivi. You told me you forgave me for everything, but I’m not sure I ever said I was sorry for it. Alabasta was my last lead on finding a poneglyph, and after such a long time as a fugitive I didn’t care what stood in my way anymore. It’s a reason but it’s not an excuse. I’m sorry for being part of that scheme.”

Vivi didn’t stir, but Robin felt lighter for having said it. Around midnight, Nami came to take over.

“How is she?” The navigator asked.

“She hasn’t woken yet, but there’s nothing wrong,” Robin said.

Nami took a seat next to her and took sleeping Vivi’s hand, “I think she sleeps more soundly when she has you next to her.”

“You have the same effect on her, Nami.”

“Then we’d better make sure she always has the two of us.”

***

Vivi blinked awake in the dark. “Where…?”

When she turned her head, she saw Nami next to her, lighting a candle and smiling that Vivi was finally awake. “Good morning, Princess.”

“Morning?” It was clearly dark out.

“It’s around 5am,” Nami informed her, “You’ve been out a whole day and night.”

Vivi sat upright and took a deep breath. Breathing didn’t hurt anymore – she was already recovering. The cast was still on her arm though, plus bandages in a dozen other places covering smaller scrapes she hadn’t even noticed at the time.

All the ash and soot had been washed off her and she’d been put in fresh clothes. “Guess my outfit was a casualty of the battle.”

“Just as battered and singed as you were,” Nami confirmed, “You’ll make a full recovery, but those clothes really weren’t mendable. And since we haven’t got back all our stuff we left in that hotel after we left Merry, we’ll have to make do with whatever we can borrow until we can find replacements.”

When Vivi left Alabasta she had only brought essentials, there was nothing sentimental in those belongings for her to lose, so she could make do.

Vivi took stock of the crew once the sun came up. Everyone had made it out safe and their injuries were all treated. ‘Sogeking’ had separated off when they got to Water 7, but everyone else was here. Zoro left at first light to go down to the docks (what was left of them after Aqua Laguna) and make sure nobody from the World Government was coming to follow them again. Luffy was still passed out, but sleep didn’t make him miss any meals as his unconscious body would reach out and eat any food put in front of him.

That day they had visitors. The owners of that hotel they’d stayed in had apparently kept all their things, seizing it as pirate contraband, and now that the crew were cleared of the assassination attempt, they came to give everything back. Nami was greatly cheered up to have her tangerine trees back. Vivi checked the briefcases of money and ensured nothing had been skimmed off the top. With that back they should be able to commission a new ship, she hoped.

Also coming to see them were old lady Kokoro and Franky, who came with a proposition. “Far from here there is a war-torn island, and on that island is a tree. No matter how the people fight around it, the tree always remains. This is the strongest tree in the world, known as the Jewel Tree, Adam. Once in every very long while, some of that tree’s wood is sold on the black market. I wanted some, but the amount I needed would have cost about 200 milllion.”

Vivi crossed her arms at him. “You spent the money you stole from me on wood?”

“Special wood,” Franky said, and knelt in front of the crew to declare, “The Oro Jackson, the Pirate King’s ship, was made of the same material. My dream is to use that wood to build a ship of dreams than can overcome any ocean! Now that I have the materials, I’m going to build that ship. Once I finish it, please sail on the ship I made!”

The crew exchanged looks. It was really the best offer they could have hoped for. “You’re going to just give us your greatest ship?” Sanji asked.

“Nothing would make me happier than seeing people I like sailing my ship,” Franky said, “and since the money for this came from you guys, it’s only right to give it back.”

Their luck was really turning around. That was another problem solved. And it seemed like everything they lost in Water 7 was making its way back. Everything except Merry, that is. With Luffy still passed out, it fell to Vivi as his second to make the decision. “In that case, thank you, Franky. We’ll be happy to take your ship.”

There would have been more to discuss, but then the nearby wall was broken open by the gnarled fist of a brawny old man in naval officer’s uniform. “So, you’re the Straw Hat pirates. I have some men that want to meet Monkey D. Luffy.”

Something about the big gruff man sparked familiarity in Vivi’s mind, the harsh face and voice she was sure she had seen and heard before, but she couldn’t place where from.

Whoever he was, he was navy, which meant bad news. Behind him through the hole in the wall, there was a whole platoon of soldiers. So much for Zoro keeping watch. He must have got lost on the way back to warn them. The crew readied for a fight. The man took one confident step inside and hit the sleeping Luffy over the head. “Wake up!”

Luffy jumped up from his perch passed out in a chair, suddenly wide awake. “AAHHH! That hurts!”

It hurt? Punches normally bounced right off Luffy. Just who was this guy?

“You seem to be causing a lot of trouble Luffy,” the old man said.

Luffy looked up at him in surprise. “Whoa! Grandpa? What are you doing here?”

The rest of the crew were even more shocked than their captain. “GRANDPA!?”

Luffy rubbed at the welt on his head. “Yeah, Grandpa Garp is some real important navy guy.”

“Vice Admiral Garp?” Nami recognised the name, “That’s a famous naval hero from the Pirate King’s era.”

Recognition suddenly clicked into place for Vivi. “We’ve met, briefly. Vice Admiral Garp led the escort for the Alabasta delegation to the Levely six years ago.”

Vivi had only been ten at the time, but her father decided she was ready to attend the conference of world leaders and see international relations in action. She would one day have to sit in a seat at that table herself. The lesson had been a rude awakening to the pettiness of most rulers. Particularly a certain King Wapol who had struck Vivi in displaced revenge on her father for some perceived insult during the deliberations. The last Levely after was two years ago, Vivi had been undercover and couldn’t attend with her father that time, and when the next came in two more she expected she would still not attend on account of being a pirate. Every attending king was brought by an escort of navy ships, and that year the escort was led by Garp. That was Vivi’s first time leaving Alabasta’s shores, before she needed to worry about conspiracies and warlords and secret societies. Strange to think that man’s grandson had gone on to become her captain.

“Don’t try to fight him,” Luffy warned them, “he nearly killed me a whole lot of times when I was a kid.”

“Don’t say things that give people the wrong impression,” Garp growled at him, “I threw you down that ravine, I left you in the woods at night, I tied you to a balloon and watched you fly away, all to make you stronger!”

Harsh. Although, that explained Luffy’s incredible endurance.

Garp kept on berating Luffy. “I entrusted you and Ace to a friend for training, and as soon as I turn my back look what happened! I trained you to be strong navy men!”

Luffy hopped up to argue. “I always told you I wanted to be a pirate!”

“This is all because of that red-headed idiot filling you with stupid ideas!”

“Shanks saved my life! Don’t talk trash about him!”

Vivi knew that name too. She had known Luffy had a mentor who inspired him to piracy, the one who gave him his hat, but she hadn’t heard the name before. After discovering one famous connection to Luffy, a second one seemed impossible, and yet, “Your mentor was Red-Haired Shanks?”

Luffy was momentarily distracted from his argument to look back at her. “Yeah, do you know him too?”

“No, but everyone knows who that is,” Vivi said, “Luffy, Shanks is one of the four most dangerous pirates in the world. The four pirate emperors who rule the second half of the Grand Line, along with ‘Big Mom’ Charlotte Linlin, ‘King of the Beasts’ Kaido and Whitebeard himself, Edward Newgate.”

“Oh, so he’s doing well then,” Luffy obliviously said, “that’s good.”

Several minutes too late, Zoro finally turned up. “Everyone! The navy is- damn it they’re already here!”

Garp registered the arrival with interest. “Roronoa Zoro? I heard he’s quite troublesome. You two, try to stop him.”

Two of the navy soldiers broke ranks. The first leapt at Zoro with a pair of kukri knives. Luffy went to intervene, but he was stopped by the second, who moved with a speed that could have only been the same Shave technique that CP9 had used. Only two soldiers were still no threat to Luffy and Zoro, but they lasted surprisingly long before they went down.

“You’re just as strong as I remember,” said one of the downed marines, “I yield.”

It turned out they were a pair named Coby and Helmeppo, who Luffy and Zoro had met back in East Blue when the crew was just starting out. Luffy has saved Coby and inspired him to follow his dream of being a navy officer, and now he’d come to the Grand Line just to meet Luffy again.

Vivi sighed to herself. “So, his grandfather is a naval hero, his mentor is an emperor, and these two are here because of his inspiration. Does Luffy have any other important connections we should know about?”

“His dad is the revolutionary leader Monkey D. Dragon,” Garp said, “Hey Luffy, heard you finally met him.”

Vivi’s eyes practically fell out of her head. “Luffy’s dad is Dragon???”

Luffy sounded just as shocked. “I have a dad???”

Vivi side eyed her captain. Was that really the part that confused him?

“He didn’t tell you?” Garp asked, “He said he saw you off from Loguetown.”

These Monkeys. Navy hero, revolutionary leader, and future pirate king. The “Monkey D” connection wasn’t public knowledge of course, or more people would have put it together. What a terrifying family.

Robin was disquieted by this revelation too. “The leader of the revolutionary army intent on destroying the World Government. The so-called worst criminal in the world. That Dragon?”

Garp considered for a second. “Oh yeah, probably shouldn’t have said that where people could hear. Forget I said anything.”

Vivi didn’t think anyone here would be forgetting any time soon.

“Anyway, these guys came because they wanted to see Luffy,” Garp said, “but I came to deliver a message for Princess Nefertari Vivi.”

His demeanour turned darker, more serious, an intensity focused solely on Vivi as he towered over her. She did her best to stand straight and stay unintimidated by his looming presence. He reached into his suit jacket and produced an envelope with the seal of the World Government stamped upon it.

Her crewmates watched silently and intently as Vivi broke the seal and began to read. “By decree of the five elders, the World Government offers to name Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta Kingdom to the position, title and authority of… of…”

“Of what?” Luffy was the first to ask.

Vivi could hardly believe what she was reading. “…of Warlord of the Sea. Her bounty will be expunged, as will those of her associates, and she and her associates will be granted the privileges and protection of an agent of the World Government. In return, she is charged to be the arm of vengeance against outlaws upon the four oceans and the Grand Line. Signed, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Godhead of science and defence. Saint Marcus Mars, Godhead of Environment. Saint Topman Warcury, Godhead of Justice. Saint Ethanbaron V Nusjuro, Godhead of Finance. Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, Godhead of Agriculture.”

Vivi was stunned. Bewildered. Of all the things that might have been in that letter, this was the last she would have expected.

“Wait. Waitwaitwait,” Luffy interrupted, “I thought they only made captains into warlords.”

“By precedent, yes,” Robin explained, “but there’s no reason against why one person can be a crew’s captain, appointed to be in charge of that crew’s operations, while a different person is named Warlord and represents that crew to the government. It’s simply been tradition that those two roles have been invested in the same person until now.”

“Why change it for Vivi then?”

Vivi could guess the answer to that herself. “I’m the weak link, I lost the most when a bounty was placed on my head, and they need my allegiance more than any of the rest of us. Luffy always wanted to be a pirate, but for me? If I accepted this deal, I could go home. Right now, returning to Alabasta while hunted by the government would start another civil war and most likely lead to my kingdom’s secession. As a Warlord, being a pirate would no longer stop me from becoming queen one day. It’s happened before. And if I did this, I could extend amnesty to Robin.”

“There would be conditions to that,” Robin pointed out.

“I think that’s why they’re offering,” Vivi guessed, “Your knowledge from the translated poneglyphs in exchange for your freedom. They wanted us both and taking us by force didn’t work for CP9. But after destroying Enies Lobby, our crew will be notorious enough that this title won’t raise suspicions, and it’s an alternate avenue from capture to get what they want from us.”

The scheme made a twisted kind of sense, both in what the government sought to gain and in why they’d think Vivi would be most susceptible.

“Now hang on,” Luffy interrupted, “As your captain, I forbid you to take this offer.”

“Luffy?”

“None of us want to be part of some warlord crew, but if you say no then the government will be even more mad at you, right Vivi?” Luffy puzzled out, “So instead I’m the one saying no, and they can be mad at me and not you and stop hunting you so much because now I’m the one who didn’t give them what they wanted.”

“Oh…” That was her captain. Looking out for her safety no matter what, and not quite as stupid as he looked. “Thank you Luffy, but this came to me, and I have to be the one to answer.”

Vivi faced down Garp, held the paper between her fingers in both hands, and tore it in half. “Has the government mistaken me for a Donquixote?” She took the halves and tore them again. “Do they think I’m so attached to past titles that I would throw away my beliefs to have them back?” Vivi handed the torn pieces of paper back to Garp. “I will never be part of the system that nearly destroyed my people. Take my answer back to the holy land and tell them where to shove it.”

“I was told if you refused the offer, I should capture you and all your crewmates,” Garp said. That wasn’t a fight the Straw Hats could win, especially not while still recovering from their last battle, but Vivi didn’t regret her choice. At least they would go down together. Then Garp barked a laugh, “I like you. Warlords are scum anyway. I’ve decided I don’t want to take you kids down. I’ll tell headquarters I’m letting you go because Luffy’s my grandson.”

That didn’t sound like a good enough excuse, but Vivi wasn’t about to tempt fate by arguing.

Luffy wanted to catch up with Coby and Helmeppo. Those two stayed while the rest of the navy people left. Danger passed for the moment, the crew settled back inside. Nami leaned conspiratorially over to Vivi. “Do you think those guys might spill any navy secrets?”

“If they do, Luffy will probably forget them,” Vivi pointed out.

“Meet me out at the pool,” Nami told her. She was planning something.

Vivi looked through her newly returned belongings. She had brought some swimwear with her on the voyage although, surprisingly with how much time she spent around the ocean, it hadn’t seen any use yet.

She found Nami waiting out at the swimming pool behind the manor grounds, draped on one of the sun lounges and setting a notebook and a transponder snail next to herself. She looked up as Vivi approached. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in that before. It’s cute.”

Vivi took the lounge next to her. “Thanks. I thought it was fitting to bring on this journey. Since it’s a one piece.”

Nami snorted a laugh. “That’s a terrible joke.”

Nami gave Vivi a second notepad and an earpiece attached to the transponder snail. Through the snail they listened in on Luffy and Coby’s conversation. Most of the talk was about their respective adventures to reach this point, but Coby let a few things slip. It seemed the genius scientist Vegapunk had found a way for navy ships to cross the calm belt, which made them much more mobile coming in and out of the Grand Line. And there was some other secret project in the works to do with devil fruits. That was ominous. When they were done, Luffy and Coby promised to meet again in the second half of the Grand Line: The New World.

Even if there had been more to listen to, they couldn’t if they’d wanted to. The rest of their crew started arriving, then the Franky Family, then the shipwrights, until it became a huge party for all of the allies who helped them. There was food and drink and splashing in the water. Nami put away the snail and notebooks to join. Vivi couldn’t quite throw herself into the festivities just yet. She noticed Robin still hanging around the sidelines, edging away from the crowd.

Vivi followed Robin a short distance away and saw her speaking to… someone. She couldn’t see who, they were hidden whoever they were. All she caught was the last thing Robin said. “I intend to.”

“Robin? Are you alright?” Vivi asked.

Robin came back away from the sideline. “I will be.”

Vivi offered her hand. “Should we join our friends?”

Robin took Vivi’s hand and let herself be led back. It seemed like she was expecting to be left unseen, to sit with her thoughts while the party happened around her, but as soon as she was back in eyesight Luffy shouted for her. “Hey Robin! Check this out!”

He had stuck a pair of chopsticks between his nostrils and his lower lip, stretching his rubber face into a comical grotesquery.

Robin laughed at the sight. “Maybe I should try that.”

Vivi eagerly went with her. “Now this I have to see.”

Chapter Text

The day after the victory party, the newspaper with the Enies Lobby story was finally delivered. Strangely, the articles made no mention of the Franky Family or the Galley-La shipwrights. That was good, unexpected as it was. All those people could now safely return to their lives without being branded outlaws. Not so surprising was that the Buster Call wasn’t acknowledged either. According to the story, the navy ships were there to defend the island, not destroy it, and the destruction was pinned solely on the Straw Hat crew. Another inconvenient truth just disappeared by the World Government. Vivi read the absurdly sensational details with concern.

Things weren’t all bad news at least. “Franky’s building us a ship? That’s great!” Luffy excitedly said when told.

“He also said to give him a list of features we want built,” Vivi said.

The crew had plenty of ideas. Zoro wanted a space where he could train his swords. Sanji requested a laundry list of high-end kitchen equipment, including a fridge with a lock to keep Luffy from raiding their supplies. Chopper had specifications for a sick bay. Robin asked for a reading room where she could keep books.

“Can we add a drafting desk in the reading room too?” Nami asked, “It will be a good place to keep my charts and maps.”

Vivi noted it down. “Good idea. I’ll make it two desks. One for me too, so I can keep up the ship’s log.”

“Quack,” Carue suggested.

“Good thinking,” Vivi scribbled more onto her list, “You didn’t really have a proper place to sleep on Merry, did you Carue? We’ll get you a nice proper stable on this one.”

With her list complete, Vivi took it down to the scrap island where Franky was working. She found the Galley-La shipwrights, including Iceberg himself, were there too. They had all volunteered to help build this ship. They all felt the same sense of gratitude to the Straw Hat crew.

“I can do all that,” Franky said when he saw the list, “How are you and Duck recovering, Princess?”

“Carue got pretty lucky, no serious injuries,” Vivi pointed at the cast on her arm, “and Chopper says this can come off soon, so I’m almost better already.”

“Super great to hear. That Carue of yours is pretty impressive, you should have seen him in our fight against Fukuro. And those dial devices you use are interesting. I haven’t seen anything like them before.”

“We got them on a sky island,” Vivi explained, “they’re powerful, but very dangerous to use if you aren’t careful.”

“I actually had an idea about that. Can I take a look at them?” Franky asked, “And that chain whip thing you were using too.”

Vivi had been keeping all her dials in a bag since the battle. Her big sailors coat with all the pockets had made a good system, one dial type per pocket, but she was going to need to figure out a replacement since it was too ripped up to mend after all the hits she took. Vivi handed the bag over, along with her peacock slasher.

Franky examined the shells for a minute, then got into his own box of spare parts to pull out some gear and springs and start building some kind of mechanism. When he finished, he handed her a gauntlet. A leather glove attached to a thick steel vambrace that would have run the length of Vivi’s forearm to the elbow.

“Here. I’ve put all your dials inside the metal casing around the arm,” Franky talked her through the design, “They’re attached to a loop of chain from that slasher you had, and if you press these buttons here under the wrist you can call up whichever one you need into your hand. Except this last switch, which releases and retracts the chain in case you still want to use it as a weapon. Plus, I’ve built in a spring suspension to absorb the shock of that impact dial, so now you won’t hurt yourself when you use it.”

Vivi put on the gauntlet on her good hand and tried the switches, cycling through several dial types. Axe, flame, impact. It would take getting used to, but this was much more efficient than her old method with all her pockets. “Franky, this is…”

“Yes?”

“This is super. Thank you.”

After a progress update, Vivi got back to her crew. “Franky says it will be five days to finish the ship. We should rest up while we wait, and stock up for the journey ahead. We have 200 million to spare.”

“100 million,” Nami corrected, “Luffy spent half of it on that big party yesterday.”

The captain was sulking in the corner rubbing his head. Vivi guessed Nami had already taken him to task for his reckless spending habits.

“100 million,” Vivi said, “still plenty enough for whatever we need. We’ve earned a break. Let’s take advantage of it.”

***

“You know what we should do Vivi?” Nami suggested one morning, “Let’s have a mall date!”

Vivi’s eyebrows shot up and her mind blanked. “A… a… what?”

“A girl’s day out,” Nami said, “explore some shops, try on clothes, maybe find a spa get ourselves pampered a little. You and me, and Robin too since you’re friends again.”

“Robin?” Vivi asked.

The archaeologist was reading nearby and heard the whole thing. “That does sound rather fun. I’d be happy to join.”

So the three of them went on a yagara ride up to a shopping promenade on Water 7’s upper tier. These were some of the few walkways without a canal running through them, letting shoppers stroll with ease instead, with a glass roof over the top, glittering lights filling the walkways, and bright displays in every window. Vivi didn’t know where to look first.

“You alright Vivi?” Nami asked.

Vivi nodded that she was alright. “Just feel a little out of place. A girl’s day out is a very normal-girl thing to do. I never had much chance.”

“I thought you high society girls loved this sort of fashion boutique stuff.”

“The highest society girls don’t need to. I had a personal seamstress.”

“You know, sometimes I almost forget you’re royalty and then you say something like that,” Nami looked dubiously at their third companion, “Robin, you’ve done this kind of thing, right?”

Robin shrugged. “When I was running the casino in Rainbase we had a strip of stores near the gaming floor. I’ve indulged on occasion.”

Nami, the most enthusiastic of the three of them, led the way. “Let’s try in here. Don’t be so reserved you two, we need new clothes after we lost all our things.”

“We got those back,” Vivi reminded her.

Nami shook her head, “Not the point.”

She led them into a fancy store and demanded of the saleswoman at the front, “Show us all of your best stock!”

Nami disappeared into a changeroom with an armful of dresses, and emerged in a series of outfits, one after another, each more glamorous and provocative than the last. Vivi and Robin were sure to comment on her beauty after each one – that was what their navigator liked, not that Nami wasn’t beautiful of course.

Robin was more reserved, making fewer selections. The first ensemble she came out with was a deep purple dress and heeled boots that made Vivi crane her neck up to see Robin’s face. “Are the heels really necessary? You’re already over six foot.”

“I think they make quite a statement,” Robin said.

Vivi, for her part, only chose one thing. Before she opened the curtain, Nami teasingly taunted her. “Come on Princess, show us what kind of extravagance a girl used to a personal seamstress can do.”

“I was looking more for elegance than extravagance but…” Vivi dramatically pulled open the curtain and draped herself into a pose against the doorframe. She had chosen a flowing black dress, longer at the back than the front, so it trailed behind her like a billowing cloud of night. Matched with flat boots that laced up to the knee and a wide brimmed hat perched over her eyes, both in the same dark colour.

Nami’s jaw dropped, whatever remark she had prepared was forgotten as she quietly murmured, “wow.”

“Very femme fatale,” Robin noted, “You aren’t taking inspiration from me, are you?”

“Do you think? Maybe a little,” Vivi conceded. After everything, being more like Robin sounded like a good thing to her.

Nami regained her wits and lightly elbowed Robin. “Look at you two getting along.”

“This is fun but I’m not sure how many opportunities we’ll have to actually wear this stuff,” Vivi said.

“You could at a funeral,” Robin replied, “Or replace the hat with a pointy one and you could make a good witch.”

Vivi changed back into her normal clothes and piled up hers, Robin’s and Nami’s choices on the sales desk.

“We’ll take all this.” Vivi checked out the front windows before handing over the Berries. “And could we take the back exit please?”

“What for?” Nami asked.

Vivi pointed out the front at the growing number of people with cameras outside the door waiting for them. “I think we were followed.”

“They just want photos because our crew is famous,” Nami said, “What the harm?”

“Spoken like someone who’s never been chased by those vultures.” Vivi winced with distaste at the thought. “You talk to them if you want but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

They agreed to meet back up at the far entrance of the promenade, then Nami went out the front all smiles, basking in the attention, while Vivi and Robin snuck out the back. They made their way around to the meeting place quickly.

“I wonder how long Nami will take,” Robin mused.

“If she doesn’t fight to get away, they could have her trapped for a while,” Vivi speculated.

Robin sagely nodded. “I don’t like attention for obvious reasons, but I might have thought you were used to the spotlight.”

“Oh certainly, there are certain publications waiting to report every time a princess sneezes,” Vivi said, “it’s not that I’m unused to it, I’d just like some choice about when and whether the spotlight is on me.”

After another minute of waiting, Vivi sighed and looked wistfully at an ice cream parlour just back inside. “Should we get something to eat while we wait for her?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Robin agreed, following her in.

Robin claimed a table while Vivi approached the counter to order and came back with a glass containing multiple scoops drizzled in sugary flavouring.

“That looks rather indulgent,” Robin said.

“It reminded me of you,” Vivi replied, “because it’s a Mall Sundae.”

Robin fixed her with a flat stare. “Princess Nefertari Vivi, I do believe you’re being a brat right now.”

“Why, whatever are you talking about Robin?” Vivi plastered an innocent smile on her face.

Robin softly laughed, one of the rarest sounds Vivi had the privilege to hear. She flicked the Princess on the forehead and the two of them dug into their dessert.

“I’m not sure either of us is quite as suited for this activity as Nami is,” Robin said, “but I’m happy we’ve had this chance to spend time together regardless.”

Vivi nodded in agreement. “You know, when I was little, I sometimes wished I had sisters.”

Robin gave her a small, contented smile. “Me too.”

They were nearly finished when Nami finally caught up. “There you two are! And you started without me! Those guys weren’t as bad as you were worried about Vivi, it was just someone from the town magazine.”

“If you say so,” Vivi said, hoping Nami wouldn’t come to regret it later.

***

Another day, Chopper sat Vivi down with a tiny circular saw in hand. “I think we’re ready to take your cast off now. This will tingle a bit, but the saw can only cut plaster and not human skin.”

Vivi sat as still as she could, though the saw did tingle, until Chopper finished cutting her cast off. She flexed her fingers, glad to finally to free.

“Be careful with those dials in future,” Chopper warned her, “otherwise this might happen again.”

“Of course. It all feels healed up now thanks to your care, Tony-kun,” Vivi said. Chopper uncontrollably fluttered at the praise, and Vivi wait until he was out of the room to immediately ignore his instructions. “Hey Luffy, want to try out the new weapon Franky gave me?”

Luffy excitedly jumped up. “Would I!?”

They both excitedly ran out to the yard and Vivi put on her dial gauntlet and set up the impact dial. “Ok, try to hit my palm so I can absorb the force.”

“Gum Gum Pistol!” Luffy punched as hard as he could, but when his fist hit her palm Vivi felt nothing as the impact dial did its work.

She aimed it around it some leftover empty wooden crates the Galley-La had left around. “Impact!”

The crates fractured into pieces and Luffy and Vivi both shouted in excitement.

“Vivi that was so cool!”

“And it didn’t hurt at all! The spring suspension really works!”

“What else can you do with that thing?” Luffy asked.

Vivi switched to another dial to show off even more, to Luffy’s delight. Drawn by the sounds of the excited shouting. Zoro and Sanji appeared around the corner.

“What are you two doing?” Zoro asked.

“Vivi has a new weapon,” Luffy said, “it’s amazing!”

Zoro grinned. “Heh, good, maybe she’ll start pulling her weight in fights.”

“Bring it, Mr. Bushido,” Vivi challenged.

Zoro drew a single sword. “I’ll go easy.”

They circled each other. Vivi thrust out her arm while switching to the iron cloud dial, shooting it out in a barbed chain that wrapped around Zoro’s sword and yanked him forward. With him off balance, Vivi threw him over her shoulder, and he landed on his back, stunned.

“Shouldn’t have gone easy,” Vivi said.

Sanji pointed and laughed. “She got you good Moss Head!”

“Shut it!” Zoro clambered back to his feet, “As if you could do better against her! You would just let her win, you chivalry obsessed moron!”

***

On the third day of waiting, the log pose had finished resetting. Nami noted that the needle strangely pointed slightly down. That was because, Kokoro informed them, the next island on the line was Fishman Island, located in the sea floor beneath the Red Line. Like an opposite of a sky island. Nami seemed nervous for that, considering her past with fish men. Sanji was just excited for the mermaids. But of course, nothing on the Grand Line was ever easy. Reaching the sea floor would be hard enough, but to even get to the Red Line they would first need to traverse a particularly dangerous part of the sea: the Florian Triangle, where dozens of ships vanished each year. Although, Vivi would be fascinated to find a ghost ship. Yet another impossible adventure on this journey.

That same day, the Franky Family also all turned up on their doorstep. The ship was finished ahead of schedule, probably thanks to all the extra help building it, and “We have a favour to ask you guys. Did you see the new wanted posters?”

“There are new ones?” Luffy asked.

“Yours has gone up a lot, Straw Hat, and every single one of you has a bounty now. But the favour we wanted to ask, take a look this!”

One of the Franky Family handed over the stack of posters, at the top of which was one for “Cyborg” Franky. 44 million berries.

“If he stays here in Water 7 his life will be in danger, and if he gets captured again, we won’t be able to rescue him on our own. So please take him to sea with you!”

Chapter Text

The Straw Hats all examined their new bounties as they prepared to depart. Luffy was ecstatic to be bumped up to a 300 million bounty. Zoro was quietly satisfied with 120 million. Sogeking had also been given a bounty of 30 million. Vivi wondered if Usopp had seen it yet.

Sanji’s was 77 million, which he should have been proud of, but he was devastated by the image that went with it. A crude drawing of his face, rather than a photo. When Vivi caught sight, a laugh started to escape, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stop herself. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings even more when he was already slumped over, whimpering about how all the women in the world would laugh at him.

Nami sighed disappointedly over the photo on her 16 million poster. “That guy lied to me, he said he was with the town magazine then sold my photo to the marines.”

Vivi comfortingly patted her shoulder but couldn’t resist saying, “I told you so.”

“It’s a nice picture at least,” Nami said.

Chopper cried and wailed over his tiny bounty. “I’m a pirate too! I fought like a man! I’m worth more than 50 Berries!”

Looking through the posters, Vivi found an unexpected addition. The picture was blurred by how fast he was moving, but that was unmistakably her duck clawing a marine officer on the Bridge of Hesitation. “Carue, look, they even gave you one! Wanted, dead or alive: ‘Lightspeed’ Carue (mascot), 60 Berries.”

Chopper wailed even louder. “Even Carue’s is bigger than mine!”

“Quack!” Carue encouraged.

Chopper sniffled and wiped his eyes. “You’re right Carue, we just have to fight even harder next time to prove ourselves.”

Carue preened as Vivi put his poster in his saddle bag.

Robin examined the last two posters. “Seems they’ve finally replaced that picture of me as a child. The number isn’t much different, I was sure they would do worse.”

Vivi peeked over. “80 million? I guess that means we match.”

“Oh, we don’t,” Robin handed over the last poster, “Have you seen yours yet?”

The picture was from the Bridge of Hesitation, Vivi covered in grime and soot and with a psychotic scowl on her face. She hadn’t realised what a mess she looked by the end of that fight, no wonder her crewmates had been worried. She read through the text on the poster: “Desert Princess” Nefertari Vivi, first mate of the Straw Hat pirates, wanted for…

“TWO HUNDRED MILLION!!!???” Vivi clutched her poster in shock. “But… but I hardly did anything. I beat one of CP9 sure but lots of us did.”

“You did more than you think,” Robin said, “That Impassioned speech at the tower would have caught the government’s notice, as did being the one to free me on the bridge. And turning down a Warlord position would be taken as an insult. Not to mention that as captain and first mate, you and Luffy will always have the two highest bounties because whatever crimes the rest of us commit are attributed to you as the crew’s leaders.”

“It doesn’t really feel like I’ve earned it,” Vivi said.

Luffy came over and took her by the shoulders. “Hey, I say you earned it, so stop worrying and take some pride in yourself for once.”

Nami looked over at them, alarmed. “Pride? Aren’t you worried? Vivi’s in even more danger now.”

“Then we’ll protect her,” Luffy said, “Same as always.”

Down on the scrap island, their new ship was waiting for them. A great tarp covered the whole thing, and Iceberg and the other shipwrights were waiting to unveil it, although there was mysteriously no sign of Franky.

“You’re finally here. The ship is finished, but Franky ran off somewhere as soon as it was done. I’ll show it to you in his place,” Iceberg said, “It’s an incredible ship, I was amazed when I saw the blueprints. A ship like this can sail any waters in the world. And Franky wanted me to tell you, if you want to be king of pirates, your ship should be the king of beasts.”

Iceberg pulled the tarp aside, revealing the ship. An immense three decked brigantine with two masts and a figurehead in the shape of a lion, its mane spread behind it like the sun. The centre deck was turfed with grass somehow, Vivi had never seen the like before. The crew excitedly spread out to look around, and Luffy leaned back over to rail to talk to Iceberg.

“Hey Ice Guy, where’d Franky go? I want to thank him for the ship.”

“He said he didn’t want to see you guys. I think he suspects you’re going to ask him to join your crew as your shipwright. He wouldn’t be able to bring himself to refuse if you asked, deep down he wants to go, but he feels a sense of duty to stay here on this island. If you wanted him, you’d have to force him to go.”

Luffy hopped off the ship and ran back into the city. A minute he came back holding a small balled up bit of cloth. “He’s on his way.”

Vivi scrutinised him. “Luffy, is that… did you steal his pants?”

A moment later, Franky fell out of the sky and landed on his head, feet up, confirming that Luffy did in fact steal his pants. Vivi clapped her hand over her eyes before she saw anything she couldn’t unsee.

“Hey Franky, thanks for the ship!” Luffy shouted, “If you want your trunks back, you have to come with us!”

“Don’t go thinking that’s enough to make me join!” Franky argued back, “A man is naked his entire life! May he be a lion and stand against the crashing waves!”

Luffy gasped. “He’s striking a pose like that! His Will is too strong! He’s a man among men!”

There was a rustle of feathers as Carue copied the pose. “Quoo! Querr!”

Vivi winced behind her hand. “Carue stop encouraging this!”

Robin cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind being a little rough, I’m willing to help. Dos Fleur! Grab!”

Franky wailed in pain. Vivi put her other hand over her eyes and tried not to imagine what she knew was happening. “Robin, no…”

“Robin, stop before you break it off!” Luffy said.

“Just give him the trunks back!” Vivi snapped.

“If you want a pirate to give up something he wants,” Robin coolly said, “there has to be a good enough reason to let go.”

“Robin, please let go,” Vivi pleaded.

“I need to stay on this island,” Franky forced out through groans of pain, “I’m really grateful to you guys… I want to go with you… but… there’s more I have to do here. I quit being a shipwright, and that ship from my dreams is the last ship I’ll ever build.”

Iceberg walked closer and stood over Franky. “That dream isn’t finished yet, is it? You said when you were young that your dream was to build this ship and sail it around the world. You stay here out of guilt, even though Tom forgave that day. You’ve long earned the right to live your dream.”

Franky wailed and cried again. “Damn you Nico Robin, you won’t get away with this!”

Luffy puzzledly asked her. “But you’re not doing anything anymore.”

“He’s a big faker,” Robin said, “pretending to be in pain so he has an excuse to cry, when he’s really just sad to leave that little crime family of his.”

On the far end of the deck, Zoro looked down from a telescope. “Luffy, Vivi, trouble coming.”

Glad to have something else to focus on, Vivi went over and check the telescope, where she saw a distinctive navy flagship on the approach. “Looks like Garp isn’t just letting us go after all.”

“We better make this quick,” Luffy threw Franky’s trunks back to him. “Hey Franky, get on my ship!”

“Heh, you’re all a bunch of amateurs who don’t know how to take care of a ship like that,” Franky said, “Alright, I’ll take care of it! Your shipwright’s gonna be me! Franky!”

The crew celebrated as he climbed the gangplank.

“Welcome to the crew Franky,” Vivi said, “And Robin… go wash your hands.”

There was a twinkle in Robin’s eye when she replied, “Yes ma’am,” that told Vivi she wasn’t sorry at all.

They cast the ship off into the water.

“Straw Hat, aren’t you waiting for one more?” Franky asked.

Luffy and Vivi shared a look as they both remembered the difficult decision they’d made.

***

During the days when the crew were waiting for their ship, Sanji had come back to them with news. He had seen Usopp around the island and overheard him talking to himself about wanting to come back.

“Then let’s go get him right now!” Luffy has excitedly declared.

Chopper and Nami were in support too. But Vivi shared a troubled look with Zoro. If you don’t say something, I will, he silently told her. As first mate, it was Vivi’s job to counterbalance Luffy, so it was time to get to work.

“Luffy, we can’t invite him back,” she said.

“Why not? Are you really that mad he insulted you!” Luffy argued.

“Luffy just listen!” Vivi forcefully silenced him. Not listening to his crew before making a decision had been part of the cause of their split, and he was conscious enough of that to let her say her piece. “This isn’t about punishment. Usopp isn’t the only one of us who got things wrong these last few days, and you forgave me for mine. But I’ve also admitted to those mistakes and I’m trying to do better. That’s the problem with Usopp.”

“You think he still says he’s right?” Luffy asked.

“I think we don’t know,” Vivi said, “and we won’t find out if we invite him back and tell him all is forgiven. I feel like I understand him better after everything that’s happened. Usopp has two halves, the brave warrior of the sea he aspires to become, and the coward he’s afraid he is. Of course I want our friend with us again, but this is about what he needs, not what we want. Letting him come back without acknowledging his fault is letting the coward win, and if we bring Usopp the Coward to the New World, that sea will kill him. But if he’s brave enough to come to us and apologise and promise to do better, if he chooses that part of himself over the cowardly part, then he stands a chance.”

As she finished speaking, Vivi glanced over at Zoro. He gave her a slight nod. She suspected he would have made different arguments to her, but the point had been made.

Luffy for his part had listened intently, and for once seemed to be stopping to think before he responded. “What if he doesn’t come to us?”

“Then he’s decided his fears are more important than his dreams and staying behind is for his own good.”

Luffy sat down. “You’re right. If he doesn’t come to us, then that’s his choice.”

***

“We waited for him this whole time,” Luffy told Franky, “I made sure our room at Galley-La always had someone there in case he decided to come back. He never did, so I guess that’s his decision. Maybe he’ll keep being a pirate on his own and we’ll meet him on the sea one day, or maybe he’s going to go home and tell all his friends from his village about the adventure he’s been on.”

A great splash of water came over the side, thrown up by a cannon ball landing beside them. Vivi checked on the navy ship through the telescope again. “What!? There’s no way they’re in cannon range yet!”

Luffy ran up next to her and looked. “Damn it, he’s throwing them with his bare hands!”

The vice-admiral threw harder than a cannon. He wasn’t a legend for nothing.

“Then we need to get out of here,” Vivi turned to their newest crewmate. “Franky, any tricks in this ship that can get us out fast?”

“One thing. I’ll charge the cola engine. Stand by the lever there,” Franky pointed and Vivi ran over to where Nami had the helm and gripped the lever next to the wheel.

Looking over the opposite rail, Chopper called out, “He’s here! Usopp’s here!”

He scrambled up the scrap island to the edge where they’d cast off from. “Hey guys, it’s me! Good news, I’m coming back! I know you’re crying for joy over there, right?”

Luffy and Vivi’s eyes met. She gave the tiniest shake of her head. Not yet.

“Don’t tell me you believe it when I quit, I was just joking!” Usopp lied, “I know we argued but I’ll let some things slide. Come on, talk to me! Cut it out! Say something!”

The crew dutifully ignored him, fighting to keep their ship safe from the barrage of thrown cannon balls, pulling sails and rigging to evade as best they could. They couldn’t keep this up long. Vivi hoped Franky’s solution would be ready soon. Finally, a different cry came from the shore, with no lies or deflection left in the way of Usopp’s feelings. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for being so stubborn! I know I said I quit, but can I take it back? Please forgive me! Please let me be with you again!”

That was what they were waiting for. Luffy leapt to action immediately, stretching his arm back and grabbing their faltering crewmate and pulling him back into the fold. “Hurry and get on, you idiot!” Luffy cried almost as hard as Usopp.

Just as Usopp hit the deck, Franky came back up from below. “Pull it!”

Vivi yanked the lever. Everyone grabbed on as compressed air exploded from the back of the ship and launched them into the air. It felt the same as when they flew Merry up to the sky.

“The Coup de Burst!” Franky told them as they flew, “It can fling the ship a whole kilometre!”

It was a hard jolt when they landed, but Water 7 and Garp’s ship were far out of sight. The crew celebrated their escape and Usopp’s return, and once she caught her breath Vivi had one more question. “Franky, what’s this ship’s name?”

“We thought you’d want to pick one,” Franky said, “It’s the most meaningful part of the maiden voyage.”

“Gotta be lion something,” Luffy said, thinking of the figurehead, “Oh! Bear! Polar Bear Lion! Or Tiger Wolf Lion!”

“What kind of name is that? You can’t just list animals!” Usopp argued, already bickering and fitting back in as if he’d never left.

“I have an idea,” Franky said, “You see, Iceberg thought the figurehead looked like a sun, and it’s a ship to sail the thousand seas. He said it should be called the Thousand Sunny.”

A feeling passed between the crewmates. That was the one. Vivi suddenly recalled something her father once told her when she was young. Kings and queens come and go, kingdoms rise and fall, but above them all the sun is the true ruler of the desert. It was a reminder to respect the lands she purported to rule. That they were caretakers, not owners, and the heat and sand if disrespected was as dangerous to royals as it was to commoners. That Alabasta the island would last long after Alabasta the kingdom was gone. A king of pirates, a king of the seas, would have to remember the same things about the ocean.

“I think it’s perfect,” Vivi said.

Zoro nodded. “Better than my idea, Big Boss Lionel.”

“Or mine,” Robin added, “Ankokumaru.”

“Or my Monsieur Sunflower,” Sanji said.

Vivi side eyed her crewmates. “You’re all terrible at naming.”

“But wait that’s just what Iceberg came up with,” Franky finished, “The name I thought of is even better! Battleship Franky Lion Gang Champion!”

They all silently looked at him, then Luffy turned to the crew. “So we’re going with Ice Guy’s idea, right?”

All in agreement on the name, there was one thing left to do. Break out a barrel and toast their new crewmates. Luffy led them, “To Robin and Usopp coming back, and to our new crewmates Franky and the ship Thousand Sunny! Next stop, Fishman Island!”

The ten of them clacked tankards together and drank. Last time Vivi did this was when she jumped aboard as they left Alabasta. She had choked and needed to stop halfway that time. This time she drained the whole thing. Like a proper pirate. So began the first voyage of the Thousand Sunny, crewed by the Straw Hat pirates, sailing towards a new horizon.

***

The arrival of new bounty posters for the Straw Hat pirates caused a stir in the Alabasta royal palace.

When he saw Vivi’s new poster, Igaram began uncontrollably rushing up and down the length the palace, tearing at his hair and crying. “Vivi! Vivi! How could they give her such a huge bounty? The kinds of hunters after a prize like that… I must go after her! She needs her guards with her! Viviiiii!!!”

Pell was more concerned with examining the photo of Nico Robin. “This is Crocodile’s right hand, Miss All Sunday. What is she doing on that crew? Surely the princess would never ally with that devil woman.”

Chaka looked with confusion to his lord. “My King, are you not worried for your daughter?”

King Cobra sat heavy in his seat. “Vivi has declared war on the World Government. Any father would be terrified. But she’s a grown woman now, out in the world making her own choices. Our worry here doesn’t help her out there.”

The truth was a great many things weighed on the king’s mind, but amongst his fear for Vivi was mingled pride. His daughter had never been content to sit still, keep her nose out of trouble, accept the status quo for what it was. This crew she had joined seemed destined to shake the world to its core.

***

The elders atop the holy land received the news from Water 7 bitterly.

“So, she is determined to be our enemy then. So be it.”

“Then there is but one option to fill the position. Draft an offer for Teach.”

Chapter Text

Ship’s Log: Going Merry Thousand Sunny

After taking on supplies in Water 7, food and water stores are at capacity. Should be good for several weeks sailing before restocking becomes necessary. Treasure store has been drained to only 50 million Berries. Sea conditions have been calm and course remains steady with the log pose. If luck holds, so will the weather.

Vivi finished her latest entry to the ship’s log. Or really the first entry, it was a new ship after all. She had written Going Merry at the top out of habit before correcting herself. Thousand Sunny was a wonderful ship of course, but that didn’t stop her missing old friends.

She put her pen away and shut the logbook. “Nami, you finished?”

“Almost,” Nami said, adjusting the glasses on her face as she hunched over her drafting table, charting the seas they had traversed around Water 7.

“Alright, don’t keep at it too late.” The sun was setting outside. This was becoming their new nightly routine. Nami would draw her charts, Vivi would write a new entry for a day of sailing, and they would silently enjoy each other’s company as they worked.

Nami peered across at the logbook page Vivi had finished and noticed the crossed-out name at the top. “Are you doing alright Vivi? You’ve had a lot on your shoulders lately.”

“There have been plenty of problems to solve, and I know there are more ahead, but,” Vivi leaned back in her chair and met Nami’s, “Don’t your worries just melt away on a ship like this?”

Nami smiled when she recognised the words. She had said exactly that to Vivi the first time the princess stood on Going Merry, calming her persistent worries over Alabasta.

Vivi left Nami to finish and emerged from the reading room at the ship’s rear. She walked past Nami’s tangerine trees on the top deck and down the stairs to the grassed middle deck before climbing below to Carue’s stable. It wasn’t the most spacious area, but it had a porthole to look out at the sea, and the floor was lined with sand and large round stones, perfect for Carue to nest in. No more sitting on flat hardwood decks for the poor duck.

“Are you liking it down here Carue?” Vivi asked.

Carue happily quacked in reply, nestling comfortably on the sandy floor.

Vivi nodded in relief. “That’s good. Sorry it took so long for us to get you a proper space.”

“Quack!” Carue hooted. He was a very happy duck.

Satisfied that Carue was settling in, Vivi went back above. In the new women’s cabin, Robin was curled up in her bunk with a book. Vivi climbed the ladder to the top bunk above Robin and peered her face over the side above her. “What are you reading?”

The room layout was a little different to what it had been on Merry. Nami didn’t have to take a middle bed and be a buffer between Vivi and Robin anymore. Instead, they now had a pair of bunk beds, for a total capacity of four if they ever recruited another girl.

Robin looked up at Vivi above her and moved her book to an angle where the princess could see the pages. “Folklore accounts about the Florian Triangle. Trying to figure out how much truth there is to the legend.”

“And?”

“There is a real phenomenon of ships going missing, but no clear explanation why. Some allege there’s a secret pirate island in that sea somewhere which plunders and sinks the ships. Others suppose a nest of sea monsters. The most popular story, and most unlikely, is to blame ghosts and phantoms.”

“We could handle a fight with sea monsters or other pirates at least.”

“Indeed. Let’s hope that’s all it is.”

“Robin,” Vivi asked, “I’ve been thinking more about the poneglyphs. You’re searching for answers in them, and because those stones are connected to me somehow, I promised to help. Could you teach me the language?”

Robin snapped her book shut and looked up at her with concern. “If you learn the language on the poneglyphs, you’ll be hunted for possessing forbidden knowledge for the rest of your life.”

“I think that ship has sailed already,” Vivi said. She was already wanted for an exorbitant bounty and marked as a target of interest for government agents.

Reluctantly, Robin agreed. She looked through her belongings and found her well-worn personal notebook while Vivi climbed back down next to her. The first page of the notebook was a copy of a poneglyph, a drawn square with the symbols filled in as they would have been on the stone.

“This is a poneglyph from Ohara that I managed to copy,” Robin said, “through this stone we were able to unlock the language and begin to find and translate others. I wonder if it’s still there, the poneglyph stone is more resilient to being burned and sunk than anything else on the island…”

Robin trailed off, a distant wistful look on her face.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Vivi asked.

“I haven’t in twenty years,” Robin said.

Robin recalled the tale for Vivi. The destruction of Ohara, the first Buster Call she survived, the command from her mother to live on, and the last promise she received that one day she would find friends who cared for her. Vivi could hardly imagine it. The total destruction of Robin’s home, the loss she must have felt to witness that. But another detail stuck in her mind just as much. “That guardian you had, Saul, you said last you saw him he was frozen solid by Aokiji? That happened to you too not long ago, and you made a full recovery because we thawed you out quickly enough. If he got frozen on an island already in flames… it must have been hot there…”

“You’re suggesting he might have survived,” Robin guessed, “and Ohara burning could have melted the ice before it became lethal.”

“Isn’t it at least possible?” Vivi wondered. It might be a hopeful thought for Robin that she maybe she wasn’t the sole survivor. Robin was silently contemplative for a long time.

Before Robin gave an answer, the cabin door opened and Nami came back in. “What are you two doing?”

“Vivi asked to see some of my old notes,” Robin answered, changing the subject by returning her attention to the poneglyph copy on the page and showing the princess the method of translation. “This one was an instructional poneglyph, revealing the location of other stones. These four symbols here are the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west. And over here…”

Chapter Text

After the time they’d spent sailing, by now the Straw Hats had surely entered the Florian Triangle. To Vivi’s eyes it seemed no different to any other patch of sea. The wind was soft at their backs, pushing the Sunny ahead. The late afternoon sun sparkled off the sea. Vivi was taking a turn at the helm, and she felt little resistance from the currents when she adjusted the wheel.

From up above, Zoro called down from the Crow’s Nest. “Hey! There’s something floating in the ocean!”

It was a floating barrel with a flag post attached to the top and a small banner with “treasure” written on it. The crew hauled it up from the sea and gathered around it.

“Maybe it fell off a treasure ship!” Luffy excitedly guessed.

Nami shook her head. “It’s probably preserved food, or maybe alcohol.

“She’s right, it’s a practice called barrel drifting,” Robin informed them, “Some crews do it as an offering to the gods of the sea in exchange for safe passage. You can take the supplies from it if you want, but it’s customary to refill it and set it adrift again after.”

Luffy was excited to see what was inside. Zoro was too, in case it was drink in there. But what came out of the barrel wasn’t food or drink but a red light that shot into the sky and exploded above their heads.

“A signal flare!” Vivi realised, “That would have been visible for miles. The barrel was a trap.”

The crew looked out at sea from all directions. A trap from who? Chopper came back and informed her, “We can’t see any other ships.”

Vivi nodded. “They’re far away at least then. That doesn’t mean they’re not coming.”

“Never mind that!” Nami shouted down from the top deck, “I just felt the pressure drop. There’s a storm incoming! Adjust our heading to starboard!”

Vivi rushed back to the helm and span the wheel as Nami had ordered. The rest of them grabbed hold of rigging and turned about the sails. Just in time before the storm hit. Gale winds and icy rain pelted the Sunny. The force of the storm threatened to blow them completely off course, until Franky demonstrated what this new ship was really capable of. He turned the Soldier Dock system onto channel 0, and paddle wheels emerged from the sides of Sunny’s hull. Sunny was a steamship! Or, cola ship. The steady turn of the paddles kept them steady where wind and sails would not have until they rode out the storm.

When rain and wind faded, the last light had given way to night, and a thick fog settled over the sea around them. Now this was the Florian Triangle, sea of demons and ghost ships. The gloom of the place lived up to the legend. Would the ghouls and ghosts prove true as well?

On the stirring cool air, a distant voice softly sung a slow ethereal melody, “Yo ho ho ho… yo ho ho ho…”

From the mist behind them silently cruised a ship in utter ruins, sails torn and mast collapsed, and hull scraped and scratched and cracked. The crew yelped in shock as it drifted beside Sunny. A ghost ship! Ok it’s deck they could see a figure in the shadows, the source of that haunting tune, but as the mist cleared, they saw the fleshless visage of a skull.

Luffy gleefully lit up. “A haunted ship! Let’s go look!”

The thought of curses and the undead only excited the captain. He insisted on exploring, and Nami and Sanji went along to keep him out of trouble while the rest of the crew stayed on Sunny.

There wasn’t much to do but wait and worry. Usopp used the time to deck himself in wards against evil. A rope of garlic around his neck and a crucifix in hand and a big grey shroud.

“That looks fun,” Vivi said, if only to fill the silence, “Dressing up for the occasion?”

“It’s not dress up! It’s for protection!” Usopp argued.

Vivi sighed in disappointment. Mysterious place like this and her crew was being so serious. Where was Luffy when she needed him? Off on a ghost ship while she responsibly stayed behind, she wished she’d gone with.

“If you’re hoping for themed outfits maybe you should lead by example,” Robin reminded her, “you picked up something suitable recently, didn’t you?”

She did! Vivi vanished below deck and reappeared a minute later in the black dress and knee boots and wide hat that she had bought just before they left Water 7. Robin nodded approvingly when Vivi twirled in it. “Looking like quite the witch yourself Vivi.”

“Thanks,” Vivi grinned the skipped back to the rail, looking up at the ghost ship. “They’re still not back. What’s taking them?”

Zoro side eyed her. “You could stand to take this more seriously, you know.”

“Come on, Mr. Bushido,” Vivi dismissively waved off his worry, “This place is the source of half the ghost stories across the Grand Line. Aren’t you excited to know what could be here? Luffy might come back with anything!”

What Luffy eventually came back with was a man. He was tall, seven feet at least, in a formally tailored suit and cane and top hat – with a bushy afro of hair under it – and no face. Just white, picked clean bone. A big walking talking skeleton.

“Yohohohoho! Hello and good day to everyone!” The skeleton cheerfully greeted them, “My name is Brook. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Chopper, Usopp and Carue were terrified, cowering and quivering from the jovial dead man. Franky and Zoro were shocked in a state of What the hell even is he?

Brook took note of Vivi and Robin as the only ones unfazed by him. “Ah, such brave and beautiful ladies, who might you be?”

Nami gave him a warning tone. “That’s the Princess of Alabasta Kingdom, Nefertari Vivi. Be respectful.”

“Oh, a princess,” Brook removed his top hat and flourishingly bowed, “I would kiss your hand as is customary but, alas,”

“But you have no li-” Vivi started.

“I have no lips!” Brook said exactly as she was thinking, “Yohohohoho! May I see-”

Nami cracked him over the head with her boot. “You may not!”

Carue honked a threatening quack at Brook, warning him not to menace Vivi, but he didn’t make much or a threatening presence from where he was hiding behind Usopp. Vivi couldn’t help but laugh. What a strange and funny creature this Brook was. Finally, someone not taking themselves so seriously.

Zoro chastised their captain. “Luffy, what is this!?”

“Isn’t he funny!?” Luffy laughed, “I made him join.”

“You can’t just…” Zoro span on Sanji and Nami. “You two went with him to stop stupid things like this!”

“We’re sorry,” Nami and Sanji lamented.

“Vivi!” Zoro said, “Tell Luffy he can’t invite some skeleton to the crew!”

“Why not? I think he’s funny too,” Vivi said.

The whole crew’s eyes turned to her in surprise. Vivi wasn’t worried.

“Is Vivi sick?” Chopper wondered, “Some sort of delirious fever maybe.”

Sanji dropped to his knees and wailed. “My Princess is in love with the skeleton!”

“She’s been a pirate too long,” Nami dramatically sighed, “there’s no princess left. Vivi is turning into Luffy.”

Carue worriedly quacked. Vivi rolled her eyes. “Would you all knock it off? I’m fine. I know I’ve always been the worrier, with Alabasta and then the business over Robin joining up, but I just don’t feel like there’s anything to be anxious about right now. We’ve got this. I’m not going to worry myself to the bone anymore.”

“Otherwise, you end up like me,” Brook interjected, “Yohohohoho!”

Vivi snickered. “To the bone. Right. It’s about time for dinner, isn’t it? Let Brook join us for some food and let’s see what he’s like before we all treat him so suspiciously.”

The crew reluctantly allowed the skeleton into the dining room with them. If Luffy and Vivi agreed on this, what else could they do? They all sat around the table while Sanji cooked.

“I’m so looking forward to some good food, I haven’t eaten in decades. I lived each day suffering while my stomach shrank more and more…” Brook said, “But of course I’m a skeleton and don’t have a stomach! Yohohoho! Skull joke!”

Luffy and Vivi burst into giggles, laughing along with Brook while everyone else looked at them like they’d lost their minds.

“Hey Brook, what’s…” Vivi had to stop and snicker at what she was thinking before she finished saying it, “What’s your favourite food?”

“Why, excellent question, I’ve always enjoyed…” Brook started.

“Is it ribs?” Vivi doubled over laughing, kicking her legs in her seat.

It took Brook a second to get it. “Ribs! Yohohoho! But I already have so many! Look!”

He unbuttoned the top of his suit and shows the empty ribcage beneath. Vivi laughed so hard she curled up and pressed her face to the table. Still, nobody but her and Luffy seemed at all amused.

Nami carefully touched her shoulder. “Vivi, are you ok?”

“No, I’m dying of laughter!” She wheezed.

“Yohohohoho! Me too but I’m already dead!” Brook quipped and sent Vivi gasping again.

Sanji finally came over with food. While he set down the dishes he warned Brook, “Whatever you’ve done to our princess, stop it.”

“He’s just so funny!” Vivi gave as an excuse.

As the crew ate, Luffy asked the skeleton, “So what’s your deal anyway?”

Brook told them his story. He had been a pirate on that now ruined ship they found him on, the crew’s musician, and he and all his crew were killed in a battle. But the power of the Revive-Revive fruit that he once ate returned his soul from the land of the dead. He could not find his old body in the fog and his soul wandered for a year, until when he did find himself again, he had already decayed to a skeleton. Since then, for fifty years he had been trapped on that ship which was too damaged to sail.

Beyond that, Brook had no shadow. That was separate from his condition as a skeleton, he said. His shadow had been stolen by someone he encountered by accident here in the Florian Triangle. His goal was to find that person again and steal it back. Until then, with no shadow, if he ever stood in direct sunlight, it would disintegrate him.

“…and so, I must turn down your offer to join your crew,” Brook finished, “What a wonderful day this has been! Worth all the lonely wait to meet such fine people! But with my condition, travelling with you out of this fog isn’t possible. I must stay here until I can steal my shadow back.”

“If that’s the only problem, we’ll steal your shadow back for you!” Luffy declared, “Tell us who took it, and we’ll got get him!”

“What a kind offer, but I couldn’t ask you who I’ve only just met to go to your deaths for me, and…” Brook stopped and trailed off, his eye sockets were fixed on a point in the ceiling, and if he still had eyes Vivi would imagine they would be wide with shock. “That ghost!”

They looked, and where Brook pointed there was a floating white apparition which flew away through the wall when spotted. Brook burst back out on deck. “Could it be your ship was tracked already?”

The crew followed back outside. Sunny was trapped behind a vast metal sea gate in the shape of a jaw and teeth. Past the gate was an island that seemed to have appeared from nowhere, shrouded in fog but with the clear shape of a manor silhouetted on a distant hill past a dark and twisted forest.

“Tell me,” Brook asked, “Did you find a barrel in the ocean not long ago? Its signal was a trap leading this place to swallow your ship. The ghost island that wanders the sea, Thriller Bark!”

Brook hopped forward onto the front of Sunny’s figurehead. “What luck! A chance to fulfil my dearest wish. You all must break through that gate behind you and escape! Do not land your anchor on this shore. Thank you all for your hospitality, and I hope we meet again on the sea someday!”

Brook jumped off onto the water, his light skeletal body letting him run across the surface without falling in, into the mist and into the island.

“We should do what he said and get out of here,” Nami advised, “This place gives me a bad feeling.”

But Luffy and Vivi met each other’s eye with matching grins, and a wordless agreement passed between them. A chance like this wouldn’t ever come again. They had to explore!

Chapter Text

Nami, Chopper, Carue and Usopp were against exploring Thriller Bark. A mysterious bout of can’t-go-on-this-island disease. It certainly wasn’t because they were scared or anything. But the rest of the crew followed Luffy’s lead as he found himself a fishing net on a stick. He wanted to catch that ghost and keep it as a pet.

Franky set about the task of mooring them to Thriller Bark. Since it was a wandering island, there was no sea floor to anchor on. “We’ll have to use a smaller boat to get to the island. There’s something special I haven’t shown you yet.”

Down in the hold on one of the soldier dock bays was a four-seat paddle boat with an unmistakable sheep figurehead. Franky had remade Merry for them in miniature. Even the frightened four were excited by this. Carue quacked a request to ride in it, and Vivi agreed, “Sure thing, there’s still a seat left. And Carue, since we’re splitting up so some of us can explore, why don’t you stick with Nami and the stay-behind group? I know your job is to watch out for me, but I’ll have our crewmates protecting me out there. She seems pretty frightened, and your gallant protection always makes me worry less.”

Carue gave Vivi a salute. The four of them got in, planning to just ride around the ship once. They wanted a turn before everyone took the boat onto shore.

“Don’t go too far!” Vivi reminded them, but as soon as mini-merry entered the surrounding mist, there was a loud crash, and the silhouette of the boat disappeared.

“Nami!” Vivi called out into the fog, “Carue! Guys! Are you all ok?”

“The phantoms of this place must have taken them,” Robin said with morbid fascination.

Vivi turned to the captain. “Luffy, don’t bring the net. I don’t think the ghosts here are nice, they won’t make good pets.”

“Aww, really?” Luffy complained but did what Vivi asked.

Whatever had befallen mini-Merry wasn’t the only phantom about. The crew heard a growl, like a wild animal. The anchor dropped on its own. Then a hatch on the deck opened without anyone touching it. Then one of Zoro’s swords flung itself at Luffy and the captain had to dodge. Sanji tried to leap off the ship to follow their missing crew, but some unseen force pulled him back by the ankles and tossed him on the deck. Something, someone, was on Sunny with them.

Its next victim was Vivi. Some invisible force wrapped around her, crushing her in its grip. She heard mouthy breathing and smelled a rotten stench. Vivi scrunched her eyes shut against the rank heat as a gravelly voice spoke. “You’re a pretty little thing. I’d like a bride like you…”

“Out of your league, creep.” Vivi kicked off the jet dials in her boots, the sudden burst of wind throwing her back and out of the phantom’s grip. She shouted in warning to the crew, “It’s an invisible man!”

The presence fled when her crewmates came to help. Scared off by the prospect of fighting all six of the crew at once, the thing vanished.

Robin came over to check on her. “Are you alright Vivi?”

“Disgusted,” Vivi answered, “but I’ll be fine.”

Sanji seethed with anger at her being attacked. “I’ll make whoever did that to you pay, princess!”

Vivi shook her head. “Not if I get him first.”

***

Carue picked himself up and shook the dust from his feathers. He, Usopp, Chopper and Nami had accidentally crashed into the shore of Thriller Bark, and the impact spilled them into this moat. They were trapped. The duck listened as the three of them argued what to do next. Stay put and wait for Luffy to find them or risk the island’s dangers to get out of this ditch and find somewhere high up where they’d be easier to find. The choice was made for them when they heard a cacophony of barking and three mangy slavering dogs emerged from the dark. No, three dog heads connecting onto a single body.

“Cerberus!” The three cried out and unison and turned to run. Carue squawked in terror and went with them, picking Nami up onto his back and runnnig off with her, far outpacing the others.

“Hey! Carry the rest of us too!” Usopp indignantly shouted after as he and Chopper fell behind. Above the moat was thick forest, and the Cerberus didn’t follow them into the tree line. Chopper and Usopp soon caught up. “Why’d you take off with just Nami? You can’t just leave us behind!”

Nami smugly tittered from the saddle perch. “He knows a cute, delicate girl like me needs to be looked after. So chivalrous, Carue. Good boy!”

“Quack!”

Chopper translated, “He says Vivi would be especially upset if Nami got hurt. He’s noticed how close you two are.”

Nami blushed. “No but- That’s… Just what are you implying?”

Now they were in the forest, they would have needed to figure out yet again what to do next. But before they could, a carriage appeared out of the mist and pulled up beside them. The horses hitched to the front were shrouded in the dark, and the driver sat atop one of them draped in a heavy cloak. The dim lantern on top of the carriage didn’t illuminate ahead far enough to show the driving team. From the carriage, a strange bat creature emerged and addressed them. “Welcome, honoured guests. My name is Hildon. These woods are dangerous in the night. If you would like, I can take you by carriage to the mansion of my master, Doctor Hogback.”

The four of them piled inside, desperate to be out of the woods. Chopper was excited for another reason too. Doctor Hogback was an idol of his, as he explained to his crewmates: Hogback was a renowned and world-famous surgeon who performed procedures thought impossible and greatly advanced medical science. But years ago, he suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, nobody knew where or why. Hildon confirmed this was the very same Hogback as the famous name. What he was doing on a haunted island was anyone’s guess.

As the carriage trundled through the dark, Nami looked nervously out the window. Strange shapes moved in fog outside. A lion with a man’s face. Trees with mouths and gnashing teeth between the bark. When Nami brought it up, Hildon said she was just seeing things. “The thick fog and fearful aura make people imagine monsters out in those woods.”

Nami wasn’t so willing to dismiss what she saw. “Hildon, can you take us back to the shore. Our crew will be looking for us.”

Chopper was saddened by the thought he might not meet Hogback, but Usopp and Carue agreed with Nami. Something here was wrong.

“I see,” Hildon lamented, “I shall inform the driver.”

The carriage stopped and Hildon got out. They thought he must simply be hitching the horses to the other end so the carriage could go back. But then they waited longer and still they stayed stopped. Long enough that they ventured out to investigate and found they had been abandoned, the carriage stopped in a cemetery, with Hildon and the horses and driver all long gone.

The dirt began to shift over the graves. Bony, rotting hands burst from the earth, emaciated zombies crawling forth with loose hair and sagging skin. The four of them shrieked in fear and ran for their lives. The manor was closer than the shore now. That was their only hope.

They arrived atop the hill, Nami riding Carue while Usopp and Chopper followed on foot, furtively checking behind every second step in case the zombies were pursuing.

“Would it kill you to help out the rest of us Carue?” Usopp complained, “You’re like if Sanji was a bird.”

“They are both yellow,” Chopper observed.

Carue indignantly quacked. Nami got off him and knocked on the manor’s great oak door.

“Welcome,” came a voice from behind them. The four yelped and turned around to see a woman had emerged from a nearby well. She was deathly pale, and her face was lined with stitched over scars. In her hands she carried a stack of dinner plates.

Out of nowhere she started throwing them, and the pirates dodged and scattered. “Why is she throwing plates at us!?”

The onslaught didn’t stop until the manor door opened and a man emerged. “That’s enough, Cindry. Let them in.”

The woman stopped throwing plates. The new arrival was a tall, round man with a long black cloak trailing from his shoulders. His ears and nose were long and pointed, and his front teeth protruded like fangs.

“I’m sorry if you were startled,” the man said, “This woman was once engaged to a wealthy man, but she shattered plates from a treasured dining set to test his love, and the engagement was called off. The disgrace of being cast out gave her an enduring hatred of plates. Please allow me to introduce myself – I am Doctor Hogback. Welcome to my mansion.”

This place and these people were strange and creepy, but still better than staying out in the forest with the zombies, so the crew followed Cindry and Hogback inside. They were led to a grand dining hall. The walls were lined with paintings whose eyes seemed to follow them. The light of the candelabra on the long table couldn’t reach the room’s vaulted ceiling. Hogback sat at the head, and the others took places on either side.

The zombies, according to Hogback, were the reason he came to this eery island. He said he was studying them to unlock the secret of undoing death. Chopper found it a romantic notion, and a noble goal. Hogback was happy to be praised and give Chopper the autograph he requested, but as soon as reindeer asked to see Hogback’s lab, his demeanour changed and with a threatening tone warned that nobody may enter.

On that foreboding note, Cindry arrived again with food. Pudding, specifically, which she deposited straight onto the tablecloth.

“So, are we meant to just… eat it off the table?” Nami asked, bewildered.

“I wish all plates would vanish from existence,” Cindry darkly murmured.

“You could at least make food that doesn’t need any dishes.” Nami said. Carue snatched up his whole portion in his bill and swallowed it in one gulp. Nami slightly recoiled.

Carue quacked. Chopper translated. “He’s asking if you’re going to eat yours Nami.”

“No, that’s disgusting.”

Since Nami didn’t want it, Carue ate hers too.

Usopp asked Hogback if he knew anything about the strange talking skeleton they met earlier. Brook’s nature and the zombies in this place seemed like too much of a coincidence to not be connected. But Hogback told them he knew nothing of any skeleton. The surgeon offered to allow them to stay the night as guests. They took up the offer.

Nami found a bathroom and left the other three posted outside to keep watch. She desperately needed to wash the touch of zombie off herself.

“As soon as I finish in here, we need to leave,” Nami told them through the door.

“You want to go back out there with the zombies!?” Usopp objected.

“Luffy will find us eventually, and we’re not any safer here,” Nami said, “Have you been looking at this mansion? I mean really looking. The zombies are already here.”

“Clever girl,” a guttural voice said out of thin air. Nami found herself picked up and pinned to the bathroom wall by an invisible force. She felt hot stinking breath on her face. “I liked the girl on the ship, but you’re so much more vulnerable. Maybe I’ll make you my bride instead…”

“Help!” Nami called out, and her crewmates burst in, Carue in the lead.

He couldn’t tell what was happening, but he knew Nami was in some kind of danger and rushed to her side so he could carry her to safety. Whatever invisible thing it was slapped Carue and knocked the bird off his feet leaving him dazed on the floor, but that momentary distraction let Nami slip free. The frame of the nearest window creaked on its own.

Nami pointed, “He’s escaping out the window!”

Usopp launched an exploding star and blew the whole window out of the wall, leaving a crumbling hole. “Did I get him?”

“I think he escaped,” Nami said, “and it might be too late for us to leave. There was an invisible man… he heard everything we said. They’ll be ready if we try to run now.”

She helped pick Carue back up and checked the dazed duck for any wounds. After that rescue attempt, she owed him some appreciation.

“Carue?” Nami couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you being so much more protective of me suddenly?”

Carue quacked. Chopper translated. “Vivi told him, look out for Nami, so that’s what he’s doing.”

“Why would she do that…?” Nami wondered aloud.

Usopp, Chopper and Carue shared a look. “Nami, I think you’re the only one who hasn’t noticed,” Usopp said.

“Noticed what?” Nami asked.

Chopper nodded sagely, “I don’t care about human girls and even I see it.”

“See what!?” Nami demanded. She huffed when none of them gave her an answer. “Fine, forget it! Let’s just get out of here.”

***

An unseen current had picked up Sunny while the crew scrambled to undo the mess that invisible presence had caused. Getting up the dragging anchor and downing the hatches it had opened. The ship drifted into a huge spiderweb, along with mini-merry and the ruined ship where they had found Brook. It had them trapped perfectly beside a dock to go ashore onto Thriller Bark.

“This is clearly a trap,” Zoro said.

“Obviously,” Vivi agreed. She pulled her dial gauntlet on her arm and checked the jet dials were securely attached to her new boots. “Let’s go spring the trap.”

Vivi hoped Nami was alright out there. The others too, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the navigator. After Nami had looked out for the princess so much, Vivi needed to protect her in return. Carue had promised to look out for Nami, so that was some comfort, but even so she worried. The sooner Vivi found her, the better.

Luffy and Vivi led the way as they and their crew ventured onto the island.

Chapter Text

Straight off the dock where the Straw Hats arrived was a staircase down into a deep, narrow dry moat around the shore. There was a shape up ahead in the gloom which took form as they approached. A huge, mangy three-headed dog guarding the path and growling at the approaching pirates.

“A Cerberus,” Sanji noted, “It was probably safer in hell.”

Robin smiled wanly, “How cute.”

Vivi beamed, cooing over the monster like a baby. “Maybe he’s friendly! Hiiiiii baby! Who’s a good boyyyy?”

Luffy glimmered just as excitedly, but for a different reason. “Do you think it tastes good?”

The Cerberus’s aggressive stance suddenly stiffened into hair-bristling fear.

“Luffy, you wouldn’t really eat dog, would you?” Vivi chastised. “That’s somebody’s beloved friend.”

He gave her a funny look. “Why not? I’ve seen you eat duck.”

“That’s not- I mean…” Vivi stammered, “That’s different, Carue’s not like other ducks.”

“Nah, changed my mind,” Luffy approached the Cerberus, “I’m not gonna eat it. I wanna tame it!”

He thrust out a hand for the giant dog. “Shake!”

All three heads lurched forward to bite Luffy and Vivi pulled him back by the collar to keep him out of those teeth. “That’s not how you tame a pet.”

“Stupid mutt,” Luffy reared back to punch the Cerberus in retaliation.

Vivi stopped him. “Don’t you dare. My turn!”

As Vivi tried to approach, Zoro warned her, “Are you sure that’s a good idea after what just happened?”

Vivi ignored him and pushed ahead. She reached into the pockets in her dress and retrieved a small bag of pieces of cured fish. All six of Cerberus eyes wheeled to Vivi’s hand as she drew a piece out.

“See the treat, Cerberus?” Vivi enticingly asked, “Do you want it? Do you want the treat? Sit!”

The Cerberus stared at Vivi in bewilderment. Behind her, Zoro put a hand on his swords and Robin crossed her arms ready to summon her devil fruit arms, preparing to rescue Vivi before she became dog food. But to the whole crew’s shock, the Cerberus dropped its hind legs and eagerly sat, all three tongues lolling out and drooling at the offered treat.

“Good boy!” Vivi beamed. She raised her arm up high. “Now stand!”

Cerberus got up on its hind legs to beg. Vivi stayed unflappably calm as the monster towered over her, ten feet tall at least. “And down!”

When Cerberus dropped back to his feet, Vivi beamed and threw the cured fish piece. “Good boys! Get the treat-treat!”

The left head snatched and caught it. The middle started fighting for it while the right barked and whined.

“Hey! No fighting!” Vivi commanded and the Cerberus immediately stopped. She fished out two more treats for the other two heads, “One for you, and one for you. Aren’t you all such good boys!”

She patted each one, scratching behind the ears, let them all lick her and giggled at the playful slobbering, and then hoisted herself on the Cerberus’s back.

Luffy looked at her in awe, “How’d you do that?”

Vivi shrugged, “It works on Carue. Hey maybe Cerbie here can join our crew too!”

Zoro, Franky and Sanji all rounded on her in unison. “NO!”

Zoro followed up, “You were the one said the phantoms here are dangerous and we shouldn’t recruit them.”

“Not Cerbie! He’s a good boy!” Vivi sighed, “Fine, we’ll leave him when we’re done.”

Robin took a closer look at the Cerberus, examining the deep scars that cross his hide. “These are some terrible wounds. It’s a wonder he’s even alive.”

The crew forged on with Vivi riding on the Cerberus’s back. The moat trench eventually emerged into a dark forest. There was rustling movement in the trees just beyond sight. Luffy ran straight for the noise, throwing aside bushes and finding two more strange creatures. “A tree guy and a unicorn!”

He stretched his arms and grabbed the tree. The unicorn turned and ran. “Hey, don’t run away! You guys wanna join my crew?”

Zoro and Sanji wrenched him off the tree guy. “Stop that!”

As they ventured deeper into the forest, Luffy fixed on something in the sky and pointed. “There! It’s that ghost again!”

Luffy ran after, trying to catch it, but his arms and then his whole body passed straight through like the ghost wasn’t even there. Luffy dropped to his hands and knees. “If I’m reincarnated, I want to be a clam. I should just die.”

Franky tried to stop it next. Then Zoro. All to the same effect.

“Best we don’t touch it,” Vivi warned. She rode Cerberus up to the front of the group to look closer at the ghost. “Can you talk? Do you want something?”

The ghost echoed a high-pitched laugh then flew straight through Vivi and away into the trees. She rolled off Cerberus’s back and lay face-down on the ground. “I should just wander off into the desert and starve.”

The ghost flew away and, in another moment, the four of them were back on their feet and Luffy was incensed and as energetic as ever. “That damn ghost! I’ll get it for that! Where’d it go!?”

“Touching the ghost caused an extremely negative emotional state,” Robin realised, “Those will be difficult to face if we have to fight them.”

Vivi shook the cobwebs from her head and dusted herself off. That was unpleasant.

As the path took the crew through a cemetery, Luffy demanded a stop to eat. The other argued but Luffy insisted, until the ground in front of the gravestones started to lurch. From the nearest, a rotting husk of a corpse began crawling out of the earth. Luffy walked over, put his hand on the creature’s head, and pushed it back down.

The thing burst free again. “Don’t put me back in the ground! Idiot!”

Luffy gaped up at it. “An old man with severe injuries!”

Vivi slapped a palm over her face. The crew angrily shouted at the captain that that was a zombie. The other graves burst open, and dozens more dead climbed out and rushed the Straw Hats.

Luffy pounded his fist in his palm. “Oh, they wanna fight.”

Zoro slipped his swords from their sheaths. Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette. Franky raised a metal fist. Robin crossed her arms in an X and flower petals floated in the air around her. Vivi brought up the flame dial on her gauntlet. This should be fun.

“800 MILLION BERRY JACKPOT!!!”

The fight was over as soon as it began, as zombies were crushed and sliced and burned and flattened back into the ground they came from. Once the enemy was sufficiently cowed, Luffy stood in front of them, arms crossed, staring them down. He could be intimidating when he wanted to be. “We’re looking for a long-nosed guy, a woman with orange hair, a raccoon who looks like a reindeer, and a big goose. You see them?”

Vivi put her hands on her hip in indignation. “Goose?”

“We can’t tell you,” one of the zombies said, “We’re built so we can’t reveal secrets.”

“Can’t you?” Luffy loudly cracked his knuckles.

“They ran away to that mansion!” There. Now they knew where to look. They stuffed the zombies headfirst back in their graves and headed up the hill.

On the path up, someone emerged out of the shadowed forest and approached. They thought him another zombie at first, but it seemed this was actually an old man with severe injuries.

“You there! Please,” the old man begged, “I saw how strong you all are, fighting those zombies. There’s someone I want you to defeat for me. A man who stole all our shadows.”

A quick glance at his feet showed, like Brook, this man did have no shadow.

“Many of his victims hide here in the forest,” the old man continued, “If you defeat him, we’ll all be saved and we’ll do all we can to repay you. The master of this ship. Gecko Moria.”

“Ship?” Luffy asked.

“Yes, Thriller Bark is not an island after all but an enormous ship!”

Vivi’s eyes widened in recognition. That name he’d said, she knew it. She shared a glance with Robin and silently confirmed they both knew the name. None of their crew seemed to know the significance. “Gecko Moria… That’s one of the seven warlord or the sea.”

“I say we take him down,” Vivi added, “Whatever he’s up to can’t be good, and I wouldn’t be happy with one less warlord in the world.”

“We were looking for the guy who steals shadows anyway,” Luffy cheerily said, “Let’s go beat him up!”

***

The manor was full of zombies. Completely full of them. In the paintings, in the walls, in the ornaments and in the furniture. Carue and the others tried to escape but everywhere they turned there was a new danger. But after much screaming and running they had found themselves in a room that seemed… safe. Or at least unoccupied. The walls were covered in pictures, but it was clear these were real photographs and not a hiding place for more zombies. For one, the subject wasn’t covered in scars and stitches. But more, they recognised her.

“That’s Cindry, the servant girl,” Nami realised. “Is this her room?”

Who would fill their room with pictures of themselves? On a table, Nami found a page of a newspaper.

“It’s about her. Victoria Cindry. She was a famous theatre actress. Aristocratic background… what’s she doing as servant?” Then the next part Nami read drained all the blood from her face. “This is an obituary. She… died in an accident ten years ago.”

Like everything and everyone else in this place, Cindry was a zombie.

They couldn’t just hide here forever. Deeper through the corridors, they found a door cracked the tiniest bit open. They ventured to look and found that inside was Hogback’s lab which he’d been so secretive about. Inside, the surgeon was stitching together a corpse on a slab. “Soon you will be complete, my wonderful marionette. One of my best yet, don’t you think Cindry?”

Cindry was beside him with a tray of scalpels, syringes and needles, a look of flat disinterest on her face. “I hope it falls to pieces at the last moment.”

“You say such cruel things Cindry,” Hogback said, “but then I suppose I can understand this once. You must be jealous.”

The surgeon stepped aside to show his assistant his work, and in doing revealed it to the Straw Hats too. The body on the table was a woman, beautiful once but pallid pale, hair paper white, and skin scarred with stitches. She was incredibly tall, hard to tell on the slab but close to seven feet at a guess.

Hogback displayed the body in a taunt at Cindry. “That’s right, I’ve prepared a new servant. You leave a lot to be desired. We just need the right shadow to animate her. So mind your manners, and remember your place, or you might find you’re no longer the favourite.”

Hogback leant over the corpse again, taking his needle and thread to sew the woman’s mouth shut. “Just one last finishing touch. There’ll be no back talk this time.”

Hogback wasn’t simply researching the zombies as he said. He was creating them.

“Yohoho, what dangerous curiosity,” whisper-laughed a voice behind them. That sounded like Brook? A look behind showed them a dead, emaciated samurai raising a black sword to strike.

Chapter Text

The door to the manor was locked so Luffy kicked it in. “Hello? Gecko Moria? We’re here to beat you up!”

The crew followed Luffy in. Just past the entry was what used to be a dining room, but it was ruined. The tables and chairs overturned. There must have been some sort of fight here. Decorating the wall were dozens of paintings that seemed to move as the light flickered off them. No, Vivi looked closer, the paintings were moving. “There’s zombies in the walls!”

Just as she shouted the warning, they jumped out at the crew. The wall zombies fared no better than the graveyard zombies. Monsters this small were no match for the Straw Hats. The zombies downed, Luffy grabbed a frame off the wall and started interrogating the stuffed pig’s head on it. “Where’s our four friends?”

“Oh, those four?” The pig panicked. Like everything else here, it was zombie, and like every other zombie it was weak and buckled to Luffy’s questions. “They’re… sleeping soundly in the guest bedrooms! They’re just fine!”

“Liar.”

“That way! Up those stairs!”

“Better.” Luffy looked around to his crew, “Alright let’s g- hey where’s Sanji?”

The cook had vanished while they weren’t looking. He did sometimes wander off, either to do something helpful or to get distracted by some girl (or sometimes both). Yet something about this time struck Vivi as suspicious, and her instincts were confirmed when she heard the pig trying to contain laughter.

“They did something to Sanji,” Vivi realised.

The pig let out its cackling laugh. “You must be freaked out by losing your friend. You’ll keep losing more one by one until y- AHKK!”

Luffy shut him up by kicking him.

“I’m sure we’ll find Sanji with the others,” Vivi offered.

“Yeah, he can look after himself,” Luffy agreed, but made sure to warn the zombies, beaten but still listening. “If anything happens to my crew, I’ll make sure there’s nothing left of your island.”

The crew followed the path. It was dark and silent. Luffy led the way, but the corridors quickly became a maze. Franky was still carrying the frame with the pig head in it, so Vivi lit her flame dial and threatened the zombie. “You’re trying to get us lost. Which way?”

“I swear I don’t know, I never leave the dining hall where they hung me.” the pig cowered from the flame. “Shouldn’t you worry about where your friend’s gone?”

Vivi did a headcount. “Zoro’s missing.”

“Must’ve got lost,” Luffy guessed.

“Or the zombies are up to something again.” Vivi took Robin’s hand in the dark. Their crewmates were vanishing and Vivi wasn’t losing her again. Robin squeezed back a reassurance. They had each other. They weren’t getting separated.

The corridor opened into a grand hall in the next room. A wide floor with a raised central circle, like some kind of battle arena. There was a sound from above like metal scraping on metal, and a man in a suit of armour dropped on them from the ceiling. The crew scattered to avoid his sword. Robin’s hand left Vivi’s grasp. Another zombie, this one armed and armoured.

Franky punched it, crumpling the zombie’s breastplate under his iron fist. The zombie staggered then recovered. This was no weakling like all the others. “I’m not going to lose to some stupid zombie!” Franky grabbed it and threw it to the far side of the room.

As the zombie landed, it got back to its feet. Behind it, melting from the shadows, came dozens more. These ones were different from the shaming horde. Armed, armoured, and able to use it. The pig’s head laughed at them. “Now you’ll see the real power of zombies! Each of these zombie generals was a great warrior in life. A great knight! A pirate captain! A legendary samurai! Such people now made immortal! You don’t stand a chance!”

Vivi narrowed her eyes at the encroaching enemy. “We’ll get surrounded if we try to fight head on. If we split up, evade, meet at the far exit, maybe we can- MMPH!”

So focused on the enemy in front, the princess forgot to check the shadows behind her. A cold limb closed over her mouth, things with spindly legs scuttled over her skin, sticky threads bound her arms and legs, and Vivi was dragged back into the corridor they’d come in from. Vivi’s muffled scream alerted her crew, who turned just in time to see her before a door shut over the corridor, sealing her away from them.

“Vivi!” Robin called out to her through the wall. The usually stoic woman sounded on the verge of panic. “We have to open this again! We have to go after her!”

“I’ll break it down!” Luffy declared. Then a thump. The wall shuddered but held. “Maybe if I try Gear 3.”

“Wait,” Franky this time, “If we waste time bashing our heads on this wall, those zombies will surround us, just like Vivi warned us.”

“We can’t leave her with them!” Robin argued.

“You two weren’t worried when Sanji and Zoro disappeared,” Franky reminded them, “Our princess is easily as tough as them. We’ll find her with all the others, like we planned. Trust her to make it through.”

From the sound of things, that settled the argument on the other side of the wall. The scuttling things kept wrapping more sticky threads around Vivi, binding her legs together, and her arms to her sides, and gagging her mouth. As she was dragged into the darkness, she resolved to keep her fear at bay. Her crew believed she was strong enough to endure this, and they were coming for her.

***

When Nami came to, she was in a cramped box. She and Chopper and Usopp and Carue were all stuffed in this tiny wooden crate. It rattled and jostled them constantly – they were being moved somewhere.

Awake again, Chopper kicked the inside of the box, knocking it out of the hands of whoever carried it, and spilling the four of them out. The box was a coffin, the carriers a group of zombie squirrels. Behind them was the back of the manor where they had come from, and far away in front was a second building, a tall round tower ascending into the clouds.

They were in a walled garden full of topiary hedges and surrounding them were even more zombies all in the shape of animals but decorated as if by a child. A warthog in a dress suit, an elephant wearing a sailor’s hat, a sheep in a bow tie, a koala in black and white stripes like a mime, and a dozen more oddities besides.

“You shouldn’t have woken up,” one of the animal zombies said, “this is Miss Perona’s Wonder Garden. We’re taking you to our mistress, even if we have to beat you to a pulp first to do it.”

The four of them screamed and scattered and tried to escape, but they were surrounded. Backed to a wall by the encroaching zombies. Nami felt frozen, she couldn’t do anything to save herself, as the suited warthog levelled his tusks at her. But then another zombie, a tiny penguin in a silly round hat, jumped in the way and kicked the warthog aside. “Stop! I will never hurt a woman, even if it kills me.”

…what? Nami knew that voice, those words, but why was Sanji speaking out of a tiny little penguin?

While the Sanji penguin had the zombies distracted, the crew took their chance to escape. But after evading the beast zombies, beyond the hedges was another threat. A huge pink hog-woman in a wedding dress, which stood out in contrast to the murderous battle axe she carried.

“There you are, Cat Burglar!” She raged towards them. Why was she only after Nami? She hefted the axe to take Nami’s head. “Master Ab is mine!”

Carue whisked Nami out of the way of the axe swing.

“Thanks, Carue,” Nami patted his neck feathers, “You keep protecting me like Vivi said to do.”

Carue preened with pride but then quacked in alarm when an unseen force took Nami by the waist and started dragging her away. “You again,” Nami realised. The invisible man was back.

“We’ll have the wedding right away, my beautiful bride,” the invisible voice slavered, clogging Nami’s nose with his foul breath. “All the preparations are made. And that pig Lola will remember her place.”

“I don’t keep myself pretty for beasts like you,” Nami snarled in response. She wriggled free of his grip and swung her clima-tact, zapping a bolt of lightning into him.

He stopped, dazed, and turned visible. He had a jaguar’s mouth crudely stitched to his face, source of the drool and the stink. He didn’t fall, but he was stunned motionless. Good enough for Nami to make an escape. She and her crewmates took off running.

“They’re only after Nami,” Usopp observed, “Let’s split up!”

Nami slapped him over the head. “You’re not using me as a decoy!”

They were almost out of the garden when Lola the hog-woman caught up. “You’re not getting away! Home wrecker! I’m the one who’ll marry Absalom!”

She backed Nami against the wall of the tower, blade raised. The crew was too far away to help this time. Nami blurted the first lie in her head. “I’m already married!”

The big hog faltered for a moment. “You are? To who? You’re trying to ditch your spouse for a better man like Absalom, aren’t you!?”

“No, no, I’m married to…” Nami’s eyes quickly glanced at Chopper and Carue. The reindeer had translated for the duck just after they first arrived. He says Vivi would be especially upset if Nami got hurt. He’s noticed how close you two are. First lie, Nami thought, hesitating to think of a better one might get her killed. “To a Princess! My wife is heiress to a rich desert kingdom.”

Chopper looked stunned. “You and Vivi got married? When? Why wasn’t I invited?”

Usopp was in disbelief the reindeer hadn’t questioned that. And Carue narrowed his birdy eyes at Nami. His gaze silently said, Don’t you dare say anything that will spoil my princess’s honour.

“So, you see I can’t marry your Absalom,” Nami finished lying to save her neck, “but I think you and him would make a great couple.”

“You do? You really do?” Lola asked in excited disbelief.

“That’s the invisible one, right?” Nami asked. Lola nodded. Nami beamed in encouragement. “Why of course! You’d make a wonderful couple! I think you should go make him marry you right now!”

Lola fell to her knees in gratitude. “No one has ever encouraged my love. You’re the first to say such kind words to me.”

“That’s just the nature of friendship,” Nami said, offering Lola a hand up.

“Friendship?” Lola asked hesitantly. And like that, the beast was tamed. “Tell me, is married life truly as special as I’ve imagined.”

“Oh, complete bliss. I have no regrets.”

“How did you get the attention of such a high-class girl as your wife? Maybe your ways can help me with my unreachable love.”

“Oh, of course. You just have to be devious. I tricked her for everything she had,” Nami said. Not… strictly a lie. She did try to extort the princess when they first joined forces. But she had given up on that when she saw how Vivi was hurting inside and burying the pain down deep. The girls had become close confidants instead after that. But back to her new zombie friend. “You know, he won’t sign a marriage certificate if he’s conscious. But if you steal his thumb print for it while he’s asleep…”

“Attack in his sleep! That’s a genius idea.”

“And if you don’t want to wait for him to sleep, knock him unconscious first. By the way Lola, I left something important in the treasure room, can you give me directions?”

Lola eagerly, haplessly, told Nami where to find Thriller Bark’s treasure.

Usopp shouted a warning to her. “Nami, that guy’s back!”

“Lola, go, now’s your chance,” Nami sent off her zombie friend, “You two will make a great couple!”

That should keep him occupied for a while.

***

Vivi was dumped on a cold marble floor. Her limbs still bound, her mouth still gagged. She let out a wordless growl of rage at the man who towered above her. Hugely tall and round and so pale he was white. She would recognise one of those seven anywhere. Gecko Moria, warlord of the sea.

Beside him was a man with a slavering jaguar’s mouth. “Maybe I should have made this one my bride after all, she’s certainly pretty tied down like that.”

Vivi recognised that voice, and the rank smell of his breath. So, this was that invisible man. Another crony of Moria’s spoke up next. A hook nosed one with a zombie maid hovering around him. “You already had your pick, Absalom. Master Moria, if I could have the princess’s shadow, she would be perfect for my new maidservant. I’ve just finished preparing the marionette.”

“She won’t love you back either,” his maid deadpanned.

The man mocked like he was hurt. “Cindry, you say such cruel things.”

The last of Moria’s officers emerged from the shadows. A young girl in black with an enormous stuff bear attending her. She tittered an odd sounding laugh, it sounded like the ghosts they’d encountered in the forest. “Horohorohoro, you two creeps are just lucky I didn’t make a claim. She’s cute. I need a princess for my tea party set.”

She was the most unassuming of the three, but Vivi got the sense that one was the most dangerous. Out of the back of that stuffed bear, a few yellow tail feathers emerged, then a hand quickly yanked them back inside. Carue! He was hiding in that bear, along with at least one of their missing crew, maybe even all of them. Carue must have been about to burst out and rescue her and someone else held him back. That was smart, revealing themselves with such powerful enemies around would have been unwise. Vivi silently willed for them to stay hidden.

Moria himself finally addressed Vivi. “The 200 million Princess. A shadow like that should be valuable for making me pirate king.”

Another prisoner was thrown in through the doors. Luffy was bound by the arms and legs but still had his mouth free at least.

“What do you mean pirate king? I’m going to be pirate king! Untie me you big onion!” The captain raged at his captors until he caught sight of Vivi, and anger turned to relief. “Vivi, you’re ok! Where’d they take all the others?”

With her mouth bound, Vivi couldn’t answer. Not that she knew anyway. Moria leaned menacingly over Luffy. “So, this is Straw Hat. You’ve made a real name for yourself. You’ll make a perfect candidate for special zombie 900. But first…”

He reached out and plucked the shadow up from Vivi’s feet, lifted a huge pair of scissors.

“Hey, leave her alone!” Luffy tried to protest, his yell falling on deaf ears.

SNIP!

***

Nami could do nothing but watch helplessly as first Vivi’s shadow was taken, then Luffy’s. Moria handed Vivi’s shadow to Hogback. “There you go Doctor, use her as you see fit.”

Carue seethed with rage, and Nami couldn’t help but agree. How dare they hand her princess over to that vile man.

Moria carried Luffy’s shadow to the door of a vault marked with the number 900. Tiny zombies, like spiders with the faces of mice, began gathering up Vivi and Luffy’s unconscious bodies. The vault door opened, and inside was the biggest giant they had ever seen. Twice as tall as the giants on Little Garden, or maybe even taller. Red skinned and sporting horns thicker than the mast of a ship.

“The giant warrior, Oars!” As Moria and his underlings took in the monstrosity with pride, all their attentions on it, this was the best chance they were going to get. Nami stopped restraining Carue. The four of them burst out the back of that bear, taking their enemies by surprise. They had no chance of reclaiming those shadows, but they could save their crewmates. They loaded Vivi and Luffy onto Carue and Chopper and took off.

“That’s my bride!” Absalom gave chase. “Get back here!”

They rushed out of the main chamber and down a flight of stairs, but at the bottom they were surrounded by zombies. That invisible grip took hold of Nami again.

“This one is going to marry me,” Absalom instructed the zombies, “you can dispose of the rest.”

He turned invisible again and took Nami with him. The zombies closed in on Chopper, Usopp, Carue, and their unconscious friends. Until phantom arms started sprouting from the zombies and stuffing something in their mouths, each time causing the shadow to leave them and the zombie to fall. It was Robin! And Franky backing her up, making sure no zombie got close to her while she worked.

“That’s everyone except Nami accounted for,” Robin noted once she was done.

“The invisible guy took her,” Usopp said.

Robin checked on Vivi’s unconscious form, breathing a sigh of relief when she determined the Princess was unharmed. The crew regrouped at Sunny. The zombies had clearly been here already, all the food and everything valuable had been ransacked from the ship. Sanji and Zoro had been returned there, still asleep, and the crew put Luffy and Vivi beside them. They were going to need those four up and fighting. Usopp had an idea. “Look, there’s a lady swordsmaster with a ton of meat!”

Sanji dreamily lifted his head. “Lady?”

Zoro grumbled awake. “Sword?”

Luffy sprung to from the floor. “Meat?”

Vivi stayed still. Usopp added, “and she’s a redhead.”

Vivi blinked awake, looked around at the crew surrounding her, mentally took a head count. “Where’s Nami?”

Chapter Text

Now that they were reunited, the disparate parts of the Straw Hat crew filled each other in on what they had found out. On the upside, they knew the weakness to destroy these zombies now – salt would free a shadow back to its proper person. On the downside, four of their shadows had been stolen. Zoro’s was in a zombie swordsman, Sanji’s animated some kind of tiny penguin, and Luffy’s had been used for the most giant and dangerous zombie in Moria’s collection. Nobody had seen the zombie from Vivi’s shadow yet, but the most likely suspect was that one that Usopp and Chopper had seen Hogback stitching together. Not to mention Brook if they still wanted to recruit him.

But worst of all… Nami. Vivi’s blood boiled at the thought. She had caught that guy’s attention herself for a moment and she wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. Now he was targeting Vivi’s best friend. That invisible creep had kidnapped Nami and was going to force her to marry him. Vivi couldn’t imagine Nami marrying anyone. A pit opened in her stomach at the thought.

“I’m going after her,” Vivi said, “We can’t leave Nami in the hands of that monster.”

Sanji was so agitated he seemed about to burst into flames. “He’s marrying Nami!? No way we’re letting that happen!”

Vivi nodded resolutely. “Sanji will come with me to rescue Nami. The rest of you need to split up and get our shadows back.”

Carue came up her, head bowed low, and gave her an apologetic quack. Vivi ruffled the feathers on top of his head. “It’s alright Carue, I know you did everything you could to look out for her.”

Before they went, Franky had one more thing to tell them all. Something Brook had revealed when he had met Franky and Robin again. Despite the futility of his situation, Brook lived on for a promise to meet a crewmate he had abandoned fifty years ago… a whale named Laboon.

“He may be a skeleton but he’s a real man,” Franky finished, “I wasn’t sure before but now I say we should help him too.”

The rest of the crew exchanged glances. it hardly seemed possible that one of those pirates that Laboon was waiting for still lived.

“We know that whale,” Luffy said, suddenly growing excited, “This is great! He’s not just funny and a musician, he’s Laboon’s friend! We have to take him on our crew now!”

The rest of the crew were completely on board. Vivi wasn’t quite sure. “Luffy, you remember, the rest of you saved Laboon’s life but I was still in Baroque Works back then. I tried to kill him. I don’t know that Brook would want to sail on the same ship as me if he knew that.”

“You’ve changed a lot since then, and you’re sorry for it now, right?” Luffy replied.

“Yes of course,” Vivi said, “Knowing Laboon’s story, I would have regretted it terribly if the plan to take him for food had succeeded.”

“If you’re sorry then Brook will forgive you,” Luffy said like it was a foregone conclusion. Some people weren’t so forgiving, but Vivi hoped he was right.

The crew each took a bag of salt and prepared to depart.

“It might be difficult to find four specific zombies in this army,” Robin pointed out, “if we take too long, those of you with no shadows will disintegrate in sunlight.”

“We don’t have to find them,” Luffy said, “If I just beat Moria up then all the shadows go back where they belong. So, I’ll just do that.”

Vivi nodded in agreement. It did seem like the best solution. “Be careful, don’t forget he’s a warlord.”

“It’ll be like Crocodile. I got this.” Luffy hardly seemed worried at all. The captain’s sure confidence made Vivi feel a little better. But she still remembered too well how close Luffy came to death last time they faced down a warlord.

Storming the manor was easy at first, the ordinary zombies hadn’t stood a chance even before the crew armed themselves with salt. But it couldn’t stay easy forever. As they reached the bridge between the manor and the tower behind it, a great foot crashed down from above, breaking the bridge and scattering the pirates on either side.

The huge, horned red zombie towered above. Taller than the dinosaurs in Little Garden, than the mast of any ship, than the clock tower at the centre of Alubarna. It was like the shadow giants they had seen around that ship that fell from the sky. But this giant was no trick of the light, as those had been. This was real. This was Luffy’s zombie, Oars.

***

At the top of the bridge, above where the giant zombie Oars broke it, Carue quacked in panic across the gap. Nico Robin drew him away from the edge. “I’m certain Vivi is fine. The others will look after her. We should keep moving.”

The other half of their crew were still trapped at the far end of the bridge with no way to cross. The only path now was forward. Carue couldn’t help but worry about Vivi, but he reluctantly followed Robin, Luffy and Chopper. Now that they were in the tower, it wouldn’t be far before Luffy could reach the top and confront Moria. But up the first flight of stairs was another enemy. Chopper narrowed his eyes at the sharp-nosed monster who called himself a doctor. “Hogback.”

And his servant Cindry beside him, as always. “Ah it’s you, Doctor Chopper. I thought Perona would stop you all before you got this far,” Hogback said.

“Luffy, I’ll fight this one,” Chopper declared, “You go on ahead!”

“Right!” Luffy ran for the far exit, but their enemy had other plans.

“You think it’s that easy to get past?” Hogback barked an order, “Stop him!”

A zombie dropped from the ceiling just as Luffy ran past below. She grabbed him and locked him in place with an iron grip even his rubber body couldn’t squeeze free from. Carue recognised that zombie. That was the body he had seen Hogback assembling before. Pale skinned, ivory haired, mouth sewn shut, and near seven feet tall. Now she was animated, and he could guess whose shadow brought it to life.

“This is Temisa. Do you like my new servant?” Hogback gloated, “There is a crew of all women pirates known as the Kuja. They are a terror across the Grand Line, most especially to any men unlucky enough to be their victims. Temisa was once an officer of that crew. One day she might have become captain if not for her untimely death. Your delightful princess was the perfect catalyst for her return.”

Carue let out an enraged honk that said, I’ll make you pay for mistreating Vivi’s soul like this!

Robin used her powers to sprout arms from Temisa’s back and pry her off Luffy, that little extra leverage letting the captain barely get free. “Luffy, go on ahead, we’ll fight these ones.”

“Got it!” Luffy ran out the far door.

Temisa was unused to fighting an attack from her own body, but she quickly adapted. When she grabbed one of Robin’s phantom arms in a way that nearly snapped the wrist, Robin was forced to dismiss her limbs and retreat.

“Doctor Hogback!” Chopper bravely stood at the front of their trio, Robin and Carue backing him up, “I’ve lost all respect for you! You don’t deserve to be called a doctor!”

Hogback laughed. “Please, I’m doing things you never could. I think I’ll make your body a marionette after you’re killed at the hands of your own crew.”

At the moment, the door they had entered through opened again behind them. Cindry pulled the handles open, and following behind her was a zombie swordsman armed with three blades and that penguin that talked like Sanji. The two of them formed a line beside Temisa. The shadows of the Straw Hat crew all together. Cindry returned to Hogback’s side. She and Temisa shared a glance, the feeling between them unreadable on their muted zombie faces, but there was some kind of bond there. The favourite servants of this parasite who called himself a doctor.

***

Vivi got shakily back to her feet. Zoro, Sanji, Franky and Usopp were still with her on the bottom half of the bridge, but even the five of them together weren’t prepared to face this thing. Oars reached toward them and Vivi braced for death, but then his giant hand reached past and picked up some triangular rubble instead, which he put on his head as a hat.

Oars turned away as if the pirates had never been there, excitedly fitting his new rubble hat. “That’s more like it. Now I’m going to become Pirate King!”

Once he was gone, Vivi finally released the breath she was holding. “He took Luffy’s personality too.”

“With Luffy’s fighting skill and that giant body, he’s going to be dangerous,” Zoro said.

“Not to mention he destroyed the bridge,” Vivi added, “We’ll need a new path into the tower.”

Just then she noticed the sound of sawing and hammering, and Franky announced, “There, just give me thirty more seconds to finish the detail on these handrails.”

“YOU BUILT A BRIDGE!?” The other four exclaimed at once. In the space of a minute, Franky had fashioned the broken bits of rubble into a shockingly ornate construction that allowed them to cross to the tower like they needed.

The opposite side of the original crossing was too high up to reach, but Franky’s construction took them to another landing lower down the tower. That entry took them to a room full of pillows and stuffed animals. It looked like the room of a little girl. Awaiting them with a bored look on her face was the girl in black that Vivi had seen with Moria. Floating all around her were ghosts, the same kind they say in forest that had depressed the minds of whoever touched them.

“She’s the one who controls those things,” Vivi realised.

The young girl laughed. “Horohorohoro, and you already know how fearsome they can be. The ghosts created by my Hollow-Hollow fruit can empty out human hearts, and when you lose the will to fight, my wild zombies will tear you to pieces. Negative Hollow!”

She sent five ghosts forward for the pirates and each of them toppled to their hands and knees. The animal-headed zombies behind the girl advanced on them. What was even the point of fighting back, Vivi thought. She was a worthless princess who abandoned her people, all she was fit for was zombie food. But then…

“Gatling Salt Star!” Usopp was somehow back on his feet and launching dozens of salt rocks into the mouths of the encroaching zombies, dropping them lifeless to the floor. “You’re not going to lay a finger on my crew!”

Another ghost flew through him, but Usopp stayed upright. The ghost girl stomped her feet in frustration. “How did you resist my negative ghosts!?”

“I didn’t,” Usopp declared, “I’m already extremely negative!”

He tried to rouse the rest of his crew back to their feet, “You guys, get up. You need to hurry and keep going. I’ll take care of this!”

The black haze over Vivi’s mind started to fade and she got shakily back up. Was Usopp just living with that all the time? It almost seemed impossible to endure. Vivi led the others out. Usopp was right, the rest of them didn’t stand a chance here. She just hoped he was up to the task.

Vivi and Sanji separated off from Zoro and Franky. Nami had to be around here somewhere. The sound of organ music drew them to a chapel low down in the tower. Behind the wooden door, a voice filtered through saying, “You may now kiss your br-”

Vivi shoved her gauntlet against the door and activated the axe dial, splintering the wood into pieces and slicing it off its hinges. She stared down Absalom down the red carpeted aisle, where he held up an unconscious Nami in a wedding dress, a zombie priest officiating. Fury barely contained itself behind Vivi’s steely gaze. “I object.”

Sanji ran in behind her, bursting out of his skin. “Nami! I’m here for you!”

Chapter Text

“Get away from her!” Vivi’s jet dial boots rocketed her up the aisle. She sprung the peacock slasher chain from her gauntlet as she flew and whipped it to wrap around Absalom’s wrist. Vivi yanked on the chain, and the dirty hand that dared to touch Nami was pulled away from her skin. The force required to make Absalom even stumble had nearly wrenched Vivi’s arms from her sockets. But even knowing she couldn’t overpower this enemy, she still planted herself between him and Nami.

Vivi retracted the chain and pointed her gauntlet at the zombie priest still holding Nami upright. She set the flame dial in her palm and allowed a tiny orange flicker to escape it. She wouldn’t dare use it while he was holding Nami – Vivi couldn’t risk burning her – but zombies feared fire. Vivi hoped the threat would keep him from absconding with his hostage.

Absalom amusedly laughed. “Jealous? I did consider you for a bride, if you want me that badly I wouldn’t be opposed to having two wives. You’re a pretty enough young thing.”

“Too young for you,” Vivi muttered. Her skin crawled at the thought of him touching her again. Getting stuck in his clutches for a few seconds back on Sunny was more than she cared to endure for one lifetime. “As if I’d be jealous over your kind of scum.”

Absalom glowered. That wasn’t the response he wanted. He raised a fist in menace and Vivi caught a glimpse of a weathered iron barrel up his sleeve and strapped to his wrist. “If you’re not here to join her, then give me back my bride.”

Sanji jumped to intervene. He kicked Absalom’s arm upwards just as a blast of fire launched from the beast’s hand, sending it to explode against the rafters and rattle the stones of the ceiling. Sanji sneered in judgement at Absalom. “Don’t make such reckless attacks where they could hit a lady.”

“I was aiming for her, you fool.”

“Then you’ll pay for trying to hurt my princess!”

Absalom chuckled in recognition, sounding more a growl than a laugh in his throat. “Oh, it’s you. There was a little penguin earlier who was going on about protecting women’s virtues or some chivalric nonsense. That must have been your shadow. He was a weak, pathetic thing and no threat at all, so I’m sure you’ll be the same.”

“You shut your mouth!” Sanji kicked Absalom in the face so hard that the beast-man was knocked off his feet. “How dare you try to do such disgusting things to Nami! Why is she unconscious!? You better not have done anything to her! And you want to do the same Vivi too!”

“Sanji,” Vivi warned him, “That guy has miniature cannons hidden up his sleeves. That’s how he makes those explosive attacks.”

The alarm that overtook Absalom’s battered face told Vivi her deduction was spot on. He thrust out his palms anyway for another attack, but Sanji jumped him first and forced his arms aside. “You drop those cannons now! You could hurt Nami by accident with those!”

A kick to the stomach made Absalom double over, then Sanji forced one of his wrists to the ground and stomped on it, crumpling the iron canon under his heel and leaving one of Absalom’s weapons useless. “After what you did to Vivi and then to Nami, I’m so angry I could explode!”

“Maybe you’re not so weak after all,” Absalom admitted, “but you can’t win if you can’t find me.”

He vanished invisible and an unseen force tackled Sanji off his feet. Sanji kicked in retaliation and found nothing in front of him. Absalom was hiding somewhere, skulking, sneaking, preparing a surprise attack.

Vivi switched the dials in her gauntlet and held it up above her. “Trial of Strings.”

Filaments of string cloud shot out from her palm and crisscrossed the room, leaving nowhere to hide. Sanji stayed low to prevent them tangling him too. Vivi released more and more strings until she felt an invisible tug on one of them.

“There!” She pulled all her strings at once and snapped them towards the disturbance. The strings wound around and around Absalom’s body and entangled and trapped him.

He struggled one arm free – the one with a cannon still attached – and thrust it at Vivi. The princess reached out as if to catch the cannon shot and it exploded in her palm, but when the smoke cleared Vivi still stood standing and unharmed.

“What!?” Absalom demanded, “How!?”

Vivi wordlessly grinned, a victorious gleam in her eyes. She whipped around and pointed her gauntlet to the zombie priest still holding Nami, palm to his face. “Impact!”

The priest’s dusty corpse was ripped into pieces by the force. His arms were ripped off by the elbows, where his bony fingers still clung to Nami. Vivi caught the unconscious navigator before she fell and pried off the zombie hands.

“I’m here Nami,” Vivi promised, “I won’t let him hurt you.”

Absalom ripped himself free of the strings entrapping him and he charged at Vivi. She switched her gauntlet to the iron cloud dial. “Trial of Iron.”

A birdcage of iron cloud clamped over Absalom and his charge took him running headlong into the bars. The serrated barbs cut into his face and sent him stumbling back in pain, blood streaming down his face. He took in the cage that surrounded him, growled and gritted his teeth, and gripped the bars in front of him. Even as the iron cloud sliced into his hands, Absalom pushed through the pain and began bending the bars of his cage apart.

Sanji got back to his feet and ran to Vivi’s side. “Princess, that was… you were…”

“I know,” Vivi cut off his praises, “but that cage won’t hold for long. I’m taking Nami back to the Sunny. You need to hold him off while I get her to safety.”

“You can count on me, Vivi,” Sanji promised.

Vivi gently lifted Nami, holding her in her arms - one behind the shoulders and one under the knees, carried like the bride she was dressed as - and ran out of the chapel. As much as Vivi wanted to beat that invisible creep into the ground herself, Nami’s safety came first.