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The Straw Hats were exhausted.
By sheer coincidence, they had run into a series of unfortunate encounters that had left them bone tired, though relatively unscraped.
Over the past week, they had fought off a lost Marine armada, defeated a once in a century migration of sea kings, and navigated the Sunny out of an island swallowing whirlpool that was so immense Nami charted it on her map.
The Mugiwara needed a distraction, some fun and respite. So they docked at the next promising port, which turned out to be a mid-sized town called Desconhecida.
Everything went well. The mayor greeted them and explained that the city's look outs had recognized their Jolly Roger. She knew all about the Straw Hats, of course, and they were most welcome in her city.
She did caution Luffy that most of their diet was fish based and he would have to make due with that.
And she shook a finger at Nami, letting her know she had heard of the cat burglar. "My people work hard. Please leave their wallets and purses alone."
It was hard to say who looked more offended by the mayor's statements, but the rebuke was both mild and, from her point of view, warranted.
The mayor only had newspapers, the over the top tabloids and the stuffy government sanctioned periodicals, to go by.
As far as the mayor knew, Luffy would eat an entire village's cattle, barely slaughtered, bones and all. And Nami would empty the piggy banks of the youngest citizen without a sense of regret.
But even still, for pirates, she considered them a decent bunch.
Thus warned, and mildly insulted, the Straw Hats spent the day meandering through the small city. Jinbei went with Luffy and Usopp, keeping one hand on the captain's collar.
And providing a bulky shield against the incredulous scoffs and guffaws directed at a sniper's incredible, un-credible, stories of virtuosity and height.
Brook was to stay with Zoro and Chopper, as they looked for small items, like oils for swords and scrapes that needed tending to. And alcohols for cleansing both unwelcome memories and other ugly wounds.
Franky flexed his arms and changed his hair into a tidy bun. He offered to carry anything and everything that the cook needed brought back to the Sunny. All he asked for in trade was a bag of kola nuts.
"They keep my gums from aching," he told Sanji.
"I think," Sanji replied, slowly drawing on his cigarette. "You might be addicted."
Nami and Robin decided to pair up for their own adventure, not offering to explain where or what they were planning to do.
Zoro didn't care, Brook managed to waggle nonexistent eyebrows, and Chopper asked them to bring him back a treat.
Franky blew them kisses as the two women stood there double checking Nami's money belt and he shed a few tears about missing them both while they were gone.
Usopp narrowed his eyes, as if he might be able to deduce some secret, nefarious plot Robin and Nami could be up to.
If only he squinted just the right way and properly focused, maybe he might see it. Instead, Chopper asked the sniper if he had an eyelash stuck in his eye.
Jinbei merely said goodbye and to enjoy their time off, while Sanji asked if they needed a manly escort.
This was a mistake, as Zoro decided to point out the deficits in the cook's masculinity and how his offer insulted Nami and Robin's fighting abilities.
Sanji returned the favor by noting Zoro's own faults, reminding him of the time he got lost in a circular room with one door.
As the two of them traded blows, a group of teenage boys sitting under the shade of a palm tree, watched.
Dust was kicked up. The sound of grunts and feet sliding across the dirt filled the air. Zoro and Sanji called each filthier and filthier names.
The teenagers passed a bottle around and whispered amongst themselves.
Then one of them, a boy wearing pants tied with a rope and a tank top showing off his freckled biceps called out, "Fuck, why don't you two just kiss already!"
A smattering of laughter rippled through the crowd. Sanji and Zoro separated, both jumping back like cats someone dumped a pitcher of water on.
That was the signal for all of them to go their own ways, so the Straw Hats went about their day, agreeing to meet up in the town square around dinner time.
As a whole, they found much of what they were looking for, and what couldn't be found, Desconhecida was large enough to offer items that were good enough substitutions until they docked at a larger port.
The town was pleasant enough for a day, or maybe even a weekend.
But every single Straw Hat, without saying it out loud, and while glad of the respite, felt the smallness of the place by the time dinner rolled around.
One didn't have to be a navigator to memorize the layout of the roads, most of them still unpaved, after a mere hour's walk.
The store signs showed hours suited for a population that tilted towards sixty, shops closed by six and restaurants by seven. And everything closed on the day of the week called Sagrada.
And too many of the faces shared too many of the same noses and so many of their arms had the same freckles as the boy who embarrassed Zoro and Sanji.
Sanji and Franky strolled into the center plaza last, as they had needed to drop off the pantry supplies first. The others sat on the edge of the town's fountain, with Chopper hopping back and forth on his hooves, begging Nami for a coin to toss in and make a wish.
"What do you think?" called out the cyborg. "Do you wanna stay another or . . . "
"Or would you like your fortunes read?"
All the pirates turned towards an unlit storefront. A man wearing slim black pants with a shiny black ribbon running down the outer length of each leg was unfolding a table.
Across his chest was the strap of a bag and from inside the bag, he pulled out a dark blue velvet cloth. He carefully placed the cloth on the table.
In its center was a symbol embroidered in gold thread. Robin made her way closer to take a look as the man removed two small candles from his bag as well, and a small bundle of sticks.
"A rounded arrow, shooting into its own fletching," she commented out loud. "That's an ancient symbol." Robin drummed her fingers on the cloth, making Usopp shudder in the background. "I am intrigued. What kind of fortunes do you tell? Are you going to read our life lines and then predict the ways and means of our grisly demise?"
The man flashed Robin a smile. His teeth were tea stained and there were deep lines in his cheeks, but he had a good square jaw and open eyes, a color that could be green if they caught the sun just right.
He was tall enough and lean enough to be good looking, but not so handsome to make women distrust him or men jealous.
"I tell visitors about love, and what could be in store for them. After all, I just read what is in front of me."
Next to the store's planter boxes were a couple of folded chairs. The man placed one on each side of the table and then sat down.
He lit the candles, murmuring under his breath, and then lit the small bundles of sticks, waving the smoke over the golden arrow. He licked his fingers and smudged out the glowing ends of the sticks.
"So, Nico Robin, would you like to be my first guest?" he asked, gesturing to the seat across from him.
"How much does this cost?" called out Nami.
"Let me guess, you strolled around Desconhecida like some nice middle aged auntie, happy to have a break. But then you noticed all the stores sold the same woven baskets and the same rubber bottomed sandals. Just like every village from here to the East Blue. You're realizing dishes from all these local villages have started to taste alike. Without danger, where is the thrill anymore?" he asked, his hands steepled under his chin.
"You didn't answer the question," Nami pushed back, as she walked closer to his table, standing next to Robin.
"How much should a little excitement cost? A different type of adventure than you normally run into?" the man countered. "Is it worth 50,000 beli?"
"Yosh, if it's an adventure," answered Luffy, who had stretched a leg over to reach the man and his offer.
"Idiot, no!" She smacked him in the back of the head. "This one's not in charge of the money. He's in charge of the punching and he's very, very good at it. Why should we pay that much money to tell me I'm going to marry a tall, dark and rich stranger?"
"Interesting, is that what you believe? Why don't you have a seat and I'll show you what I do?"
When Nami made a face, he added, "Your's will be free. A trial reading if you will." This offer made Nami smile, one where she didn't show her teeth.
It was the one she gave when she decided she had the upper hand. "Fine, let's see what you got."
She pushed Luffy, gently enough for her, aside and Robin took her own slow steps back.
Once Nami was seated, the man rubbed his fingertips over the burnt ends of the bundle of sticks.
He asked Nami to give him her hand.
With her palm open, the man rubbed some of the ash into it, smoothing it with his thumb.
And then he peered closely at it.
"This better come off . . . " she started.
"Sshhh." He took a breath and blew out, leaning back. From his pocket, he handed her a handkerchief. "Here. I saw your symbol, clear as day. It's a key."
Nami, wiping off her palm, snorted. "Seriously? How corny. The key to my heart, I bet the little teenage girls just swoon over . . . "
"Is that what I said?" the man interrupted her again. "No, it's a master key, the one that can open any locks. Locks can hide treasure, but locks can bind you in place. Something you seem to understand too well. You have legs that need to run. You can love, of course, but you have a great fear of being trapped. That is why your love symbol is a key."
Nami's face went pale for just a moment, making her eyes look darker, like those of a bird trapped under a net, but she regained her composure. "Interesting," she told him. "You're right about this place being boring. I'll pay you twenty-five thousand for all of us."
"Thirty-eight and you have a deal," the man countered. "Who's next?"
The man was clearly a human. He sneezed and drank from a water pouch. He needed to relight the bundle of sticks for more soot.
But the Straw Hats soon felt like they had made a deal with the devil.
He smeared ash on the bones of Brook's hand and told him he had a squirting flower pin as his symbol.
For the skeleton always made himself the butt of jokes and kept others annoyed because love was not in the cards for him.
At first Usopp's symbol seemed promising, a sun, but then the man told the sniper what it meant.
It was something Usopp could feel warming his skin, but never actually touch.
Usopp remembered how he sat in the tree and looked to Kaya, up in her window, and always felt she was just out of reach.
Perhaps the man saw Zoro's hand on his swords when he read Chopper's symbol, or maybe he would have been careful anyway, seeing the boy's deep and trusting eyes.
For the doctor, it was a blanket.
"You don't ask for much," the man told him gently. "You are only seeking the warmth you were denied as a child." As an afterthought, he added. "Be careful. The world is rough with gentle things."
Jinbei went next, his face placid.
"I see a faded letter with beautiful calligraphy." The man let go of Jinbei who had the ghost of a smile playing across his face. "This may appear romantic, and perhaps it is on some level. But your symbol shows that you are living in the past, using your ideals to avoid the present. You can't look foolish with a woman today if you only court memories of ghosts."
The man's voice kept the Straw Hats drawn in. It was low, and soft, but it carried in the quiet of town square, the kind of voice that sounded like it was meant just to be heard by you alone.
They now sat on the cobblestoned ground, each waiting their turn, and each swallowing the barest amount of spit as they thought about what the man might see in their palms.
And what he might say out loud.
Nothing was keeping them there. Any one of them could have walked away, back to the Sunny and stretched out on the soft green grass, to wait for the others.
Still, they sat, feeling the truth of each . . .
Counsel? Reveal? Discovery?
There was no good word for it. And it wasn't exactly truth either.
More like a version of truth, but the one at its hardest and least forgiving.
Luffy didn't smile or crack any dumb jokes when he sat down.
The man told him there was a hallway clock in his palm.
He told Luffy that he saw love - romantic love - as a way to pass time, but not something to carry with him.
"You admire it, but your eyes are on the future and you will leave it behind when you travel ahead. You can frown all you want, but one day a mother will be raising your child by herself as you sail away on your ship."
There was a gasp from Usopp. One arrow had found two marks.
"Hmm, this is proving most interesting," Robin addressed the man as she took her turn. "Give me your worst." She held out her hand like a challenge and the man, to his credit, didn't flinch.
"Do you want to try and read it first?" he offered.
Robin brought her hand up to face and stared. "I see, I see something curved" she said after a minute or so.
The man smiled. "I'm impressed. Honestly, that was quite good. It's a scythe." He took Robin's hand and ran his fingertip over it, forming the shape of a sickle.
"There is no doubt you will work to make something grow, tend to it carefully and faithfully. At dusk, when the nights are still warm, you will look out and hope you won't forget these quiet moments."
He waited a moment, still holding her hand, like it was a small bird he had just captured. "But when the time comes, when your higher calling beckons, you will cut down the fields without a second thought and then move one."
The man placed Robin's hand down on the velvet cloth, "You will never love another person more than you will desire chopping off the legs of the powerful.
Everyone, all once, tried not to look at Franky.
"We are masters of our fate, even when it comes to something as difficult and fickle as love," Robin answered.
The man shrugged. "I only tell you what I see."
"I'll go next, get this over with. Sanji's probably ready to spit nails if we don't start dinner soon." And with that declaration, Zoro strode up and took Robin's seat from her, making her leave and go back to the others.
Zoro kept one arm crossed against his chest as the man completed his ash ritual.
"I'll keep it simple for you. It's a crescent moon, waning. It symbolizes what is past and lost. You say you look forward, but you carry with you all the moons that have come and gone. When you carry the dead, they only grow heavier with each step. How hard will it be to make room for another in your life? And how can they compare to one that sits with the stars?"
Zoro's arm slipped into his lap and he took his hand away from the man.
"She's not a burden," he told the man, wiping his hand on his pants.
"I didn't say that," the man replied back, shaking his head. "But you can't leave her behind."
Now it was Zoro's turn to have someone bump him out the chair.
"Come on, sword bro. Let me have a turn." Franky clamped a hand on Zoro's shoulder, pulling him out of the past and back into the present.
"You, my metal friend, are going to be a first."
"Two firsts in one day, huh, pal? Me and the skeleton," Franky asked as he pulled out the chair to sit down.
"I didn't say that," replied the man. "The world is bigger than your crew, and sometimes just as strange, as all of you should know."
It took more ash to read Franky's palm, as he had created an alloy that shed pollution and grime.
But the man was determined and his bundle of sticks was special.
"You shouldn't be surprised, but your symbol for love is a rooster. Your love is big and loud, unafraid to be heard. You'll make a fool of yourself, without knowing or caring. Others may get annoyed or even mock your declarations, but you are too confident to care. You will chase swans, not realizing they can fly away from you at any time."
Franky started to turn his head to look behind and stopped himself. "Ha! You don't even know, dude. Coup de burst and I can follow any bird, anywhere!"
"Yes?" the man tiled his head. "For how long?"
"Don't underestimate me, love bro," Franky told the man. "Love conquers all."
"Like one of the Four Emperors?" the man teased. "How apt. It does also tend to leave a wake of destruction behind it."
Sanji tossed his cigarette onto the ground, stepping on it until it was out. "Enough slandering of love. She's a beautiful lady that deserves our respect for the joy and hope she gives. Let's get this over with so I can go start dinner."
Now, Franky and Sanji switched spots. Sanji took off his suit jacket first and rolled up his shirt sleeve. The mood, at this point, was somber enough that Zoro didn't even call him priss or mock his fussiness.
"It will take me a second to properly decipher the symbol. It has, on casual inspection, the appearance of several things," the man told Sanji.
The rest of the Straw Hats, still sitting, had leaned forward, most unaware they were doing so. Little Chopper even held his breath waiting for the answer.
"Aahh, I see. It's obvious once I let my eyes relax. Your love symbol is a firework."
Behind Sanji, his nakama relaxed, and even a few smiled, believing the symbol appropriate for the cook. Chopper let out a long, noisy exhale.
"Of course!" Sanji took out his own handkerchief and began cleaning off his hand. "Love is exciting! It lights up your world and takes your breath away!"
"Fireworks are big and showy," the man agreed. "And short lived. One followed by another, each taking your attention away from the earlier one. This is the symbol of someone who falls in love with a lot of flash and noise, until the next distraction."
Usopp slipped out a quiet "fuck" in the background and Sanji stared at the man with his mouth open, his hands frozen in place.
The man looked past Sanji towards Nami, "I'll take that money now. I believe that's all of you."
"I don't think so . . . " Nami began, her face pink and her jaw set.
Luffy stood up, pushing his hat forward. "A deal is a deal. Pay him, Nami, he didn't lie. He showed you the messed up arrow on the table and you agreed."
Nami stalked over to the man's table and counted out the money owed, paying him in as many small bills and coins as she could. It was petty, but she wasn't feeling very kind at the moment.
The sun was sinking lower as they made their way slowly back to the Sunny, all walking one by one in a line down the switchback.
Brook was last, whistling a slow tune.
Then he spoke.
"A key is quite a fortuitous symbol, Nami dear. Keys are used for protecting what you cherish, and helping you find your way into secret places. How romantic is that?"
Nami looked over her shoulder, the crease on her brow disappearing. "I should've thought of that. Thank you, Brook." She laughed. "After dinner, I'll let you look at Luffy's panties."
"What?" called back Luffy, drawing laughs from the others.
"And Usopp, think about the sun!" Brook continued. "What better symbol of promise than the sun? It was why all living things grow, from the smallest sprout to the mightiest tree. You don't put your hands on hope, hope reaches down to you. And what is more trustworthy than a sunrise? Think on that, my friend."
"Hahhahaha," Usopp tried to laugh. "As the world's foremost romantic, I knew that already. But, umm, thank you. It's nice to hear my beliefs, umm, validated." The sniper didn't realize it, but he wiped his brow in relief.
"Chopper, a blanket means you will have someone to share your life with, all snuggled up in bed. How cozy and wonderful is that!" continued Brook, swinging his cane in a slow circle. "Jinbei, the faded letter means you do not hold old loves lightly and new romances should take heart that they will also be valued and cherished."
"Thank you, Mr. Brook. I must admit I found his words . . . disconcerting," admitted Jinbei.
"Yosh, what about me and my clock?" asked Luffy, yawning and stretching his arms high above his head.
"Very powerful love symbol, as one would expect for you," Brook began. "It's all about understanding the passage of time and how we must live each moment with intention. You will love with all your heart, no half measures. The person you direct your affections towards will know they are treasured. Maybe love cannot travel everywhere with you, but you go to dangerous places and fight dangerous people. Maybe that isn't the path for someone you love?"
"Maybe not?" Luffy shrugged. "Maybe you should tell fortunes."
"I lived a long time. It's just experience, not any kind of magic," Brook replied. "And Robin, I've seen revolutions. There's always room for love. Some people even find regime change romantic. Not my cup of tea, the uniforms are always a bit drab, but to each their own."
Robin let out a laugh that sounded like a tinkling chime. "The dress code tends to be rather pragmatic, I'm afraid."
Brook's tone became more subdued. "My dear swordsman, the moon is your correct symbol for love. You will sometimes be lost and gone, but you will always return, watching over the one you love. You will move the oceans for the one you care about, and not say a word about doing so. As far as burdens you carry, do not listen to that man."
The skeleton worked his way forward up the line to Zoro and laid a hand on his bicep, squeezing to emphasize his point. "No one you loved and lost is a burden you carry. They are a gift. They have taught you empathy for others and who they hurt for. You are more capable of love because of it, not less."
Zoro put his hand briefly over Brook's and nodded, then let go.
Brook patted Zoro's arm, turning to Franky, who now had a hopeful look.
"Rooster! How magnificent! They herald the new day, what a symbol of optimism, which is true for you, my friend. And they unafraid to fight those bigger and stronger than themselves to protect those they care for, even when everyone else calls them a fool. It is a perfect symbol for you, my big hearted companion."
"Oh," Franky began to cry. "Tha . . . tha . . . thank you!" And the cyborg became overwhelmed with tears and all the emotions from his oversized heart.
"So, fireworks?" asked Sanji, sidling up to the musician, trying not to appear impatient for his turn.
"Yes!" smiled Brook. "Of course! How delightful! Do you know that some cultures consider fireworks flowers in the sky? Isn't that beautiful? Which is what you want in love, dear Sanji. You want to make love beautiful and exciting for someone. You want them filled with all those perfect emotions, happy and not wanting to be anywhere else."
Brook paused, tapping a finger against his cheekbone. "You want love to be joy and wonder. That is a gentlemanly sentiment, I must say. The world could do with some more chivalry and good manners. We are woefully bereft of both. What a kinder place it could be."
Sanji squared back his shoulders and reached into his jacket to pull out his cigarette case. "As one gentleman to another, thank you. I'm glad for your chivalry and good manners."
"Not at all. Thank you, dear boy. Thank you," replied Brook with a small bow.
With that re-reading finished, the Straw Hats began making better time to the Sunny, their spirits well lifted.
"Wait," said Chopper, stopping in his tracks. "What about your love symbol, Brook?"
"Oh," sighed the skeleton. "I'd say it's fair enough. I have no complaints."
"Well, I would agree. A squirting flower is a good love symbol for you," started Robin. "You are absolutely unafraid to make yourself the butt of the joke . . . "
"If only I had a butt," interrupted Brook.
"The butt of a joke," smiled Robin. "In order to make others laugh. Your lack of selfishness and sense of . . . whimsy show a deep and thoughtful understanding of love, not a desire to push it away."
There were murmurs of agreement from others, along with Chopper piping up "I like your flower! I want one too."
"My sweet historian, I am most grateful for your kind retelling of my love symbol. If I had eyes, I would cry." And for a walking skeleton, Brook did look a bit sniffly.
They were now by the dock and the mood was better than when they had left the town square, but the air still hung heavy around them.
Zoro softly pushed Nami's shoulder. "Wow, witch, you really got screwed over by that guy, We should've let Usopp just read tea leaves and saved all that money."
This, naturally, led to Sanji intervening on Nami's behalf.
And somehow, the freckled armed boy from before was also at the docks.
This time his comments were even cruder than earlier.
Usopp briefly considered asking the kid to join the crew just to save on deck repairs.
And he wondered what the kid's love symbol might be.
Hmm, maybe a salt shaker?