29 Ch 27 "I don't like sand."

- The 2nd Day after Crocodile's defeat -

Nothing was really happening. Leo just sat in the Palace library with Nami and read some books for most of the day.

It was at noon that Luffy had awoken, then everything got loud and chaotic.

They all soon ended up in the Palace Great Hall to have the promised feast, where Luffy ate like a cave man... But, despite the major lack of table manners, everyone had fun and laughed a lot.

After the chaotic meal, they all went to the Palace Bathhouse.(no clue if that's what it's call)

Sanji - "Hey, where's the women's baths?"

Cobra - "Right on the otherside of that wall!"

Igaram - "YOUR MAJESTY!!!"

All of them ran to the wall to peek over, except Leo and Zoro.

Leo wasn't going to let them however. He sent a bunch of chains at them, stopping them from moving and then threw them into the water.

Leo looked at Cobra.

Leo - "C'mon man, your daughter is in there..."

Cobra - "..."

Sanji/Usopp/Luffy - "LEO!!! WE WANTED TO SEE!!!"

Leo - "No! Damn perverts..."

Zoro - "I really don't see why they want to look so much..."

Leo looked at Zoro blankly.

Leo - "That's because the only thing you think about is your swords..."

Zoro - "Tch. That's not all I think about..."

Leo - "Oh, yeah. You also think about training and booze."

Zoro - "Grr..."

Leo - "Heh!"

After that, Cobra, who was watching everything with a smile, got the groups attention and bowed while thanking them.

Then everyone went back to enjoying themselves. Except for Leo, who had to thwart a few more peeking attempts.

When they were done in the baths, they all went to bed and went to sleep.

- The next day -

Leo woke up and received memories from the 24 clones he had sent searching for the Poneglyph.

22 of the memories were unsuccessful and only told him that they found nothing.

1 of them was successful and told him that the Poneglyph was now in his inventory.

The final clone turned out to be a clone that was made by the original 24th, so he focused on that to find out why it was made.

- Clones memories -

After Leo made the couple dozen clones, they all went out in search of the lost Poneglyph buried within the desert.

The first day wasn't very successful and there was no other interesting things worthwhile.

The second day was much like the first, except one of the clones had come across a certain cowgirl. Nico Robin.

She was wandering around the southern side of the island and looked like she was searching for something.

After thinking about it for a moment, C.Leo figure that she was probably searching for their ship, so that she could stowaway on it. Too bad it was in Leo's inventory.

With nothing better to do, the clone decided to see her. But, he wasn't going to be normal about it of course.

He went up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

C.Leo - "Howdy, Cowgirl!"

Robin - "KYAAA!" (Idk...)

She jumped in fright.

When he saw her reaction, he started laughing like crazy.

C.Leo - "Pfft-hahahaHAHAHAHAHAH!!! I hoped that would happen!"

Robin turned to him, recognising his voice.

She glared at him, holding her hand to her heart.

Robin - "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!? YOU ASS!!"

C.Leo - "Hahahaha! Sorry. It was too tempting. Anyways, what you doing out here? Lose your herd or something?"

He looked at her with a shit eating grin on his face, which got her nerves and after he had just scared the hell out of her, she couldn't stand it. So, she kicked him in the shin.

Robin - "OW!"

Which was a bad idea...

C.Leo - "Yeaah... I wouldn't advise doing that."

She looked at him again with a more fierce glare, but it wasn't very effective when she was standing on one leg while holding the other.

Having had his fun, he decided to stop messing with her. He made the both of them some seats and a sun umbrella to shade them.

Robin saw this and was quite amazed, but she didn't say anything and sat down.

Robin - "Thanks... Why does it feel like I kicked a chunk of metal...?"

She took her boot off and started massaging her sore foot.

C.Leo - "Because, I'm damn near indestructible."

Robin - "Would have been nice to know before I kicked you..."

C.Leo - *Chuckles* "So, what are you doing all the way out here?"

He asked her with an expression that made it look like he already knew.

Robin stared at his face, trying to figure him out.

Robin - "Why do I feel like you already know... *sigh* I was searching for your ship. Seriously, where is it!? I've been looking all over."

C.Leo - "Yeah, I figured that was your goal. I'm carrying it with me in a separate space."

Robin - "I'm not even going to ask... Well, why are you out here?"

C.Leo - "The real me made a bunch of clones to look for something. Unfortunately, we haven't found it yet, but I saw you and decided to come say hi."

Robin - "You mean scare me half to death... What exactly are you looking for?"

C.Leo - "You can know once I've found it. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would we?"

His grin made another appearance.

Robin - "Why does it feel like you just like to mess with me?"

C.Leo - "Because I do. I don't know why, but I do!"

He smiled at her brightly, but it quickly turn into one of nostalgia as he looked up to the sky.

C.Leo - *mumbling* "It's barely been a month... but it feels like forever since I left them..."

Robin didn't hear what he said clearly, but she felt the sadness in his voice.

Shaking off his nostalgia and putting a smile back on his face, he looked back to Robin.

C.Leo - "I guess, I just enjoy your company. On that note, how about I stay with you and when it's time to set sail, I can take you to the real me?"

She looked surprised.

Robin - "Why would you do that? Do you really trust me that much? To even take me with you...?"

C.Leo - "I thought I made it clear that I don't think you're a bad person already. So, yes. I trust you. Besides, I told you, you can know what I'm looking for later. Can't do that if you're not around, now can I?"

She found herself shocked by him once again.

Robin - "Okay then. I will take you up on you're offer."

She tilted her head down a bit, letting her hat hide her face.

Robin - *Mutters* "What a strange man you are..."

A small smile crossed her lips.

After setting their plans, they sat and talked for the rest of the day and when night came, C.Leo made a house for them to rest in.

In the morning of the next day, when all the other clones dispersed themselves, he made another clone and sent it his place.

- Memory ends -

Leo smiled at the memory.

Leo - 'I wonder how she will react when I show her the Poneglyph...?'

He got up and went to see the rest of the crew, who were waiting for breakfast together.

Leo - "Sup."

Everyone - "Hey Leo."

Leo - "So, when are we planning on leaving exactly?"

Nami - "We should get going tonight or in the morning tomorrow. We don't want to cause problems for Vivi's dad by staying too long."

Usopp - "Right. But what about Vivi? Is she coming with us?"

Nami looked down.

Nami - "I don't know. I told her yesterday that we would probably leave today or tomorrow."

Luffy shot onto his feet and slammed his hands onto the table.

Luffy - "Huh? Vivi has to come with us! It'll be fun!!"

Nami hit him over the head.

Nami - "Shut up idiot! This isn't up to us. Vivi has to decide for herself. We will have to wait and see."

The conversation then devolved into Luffy whining and unrelated topics.

Outside the door to the room, Vivi was standing with her hands clutching at her dress.

Deciding whether to do ones duty towards the Kingdom they love. And running off, free to be a pirate with their friends is a difficult one.

She decided to swallow her feelings for now and go have fun with her friends. While she still can.

Vivi put on a happy facade and went into the room to wait with them for breakfast.

Vivi - "Hello everyone. Good morning."

They all greeted back, unknowing to the fact that she had heard their discussion. Except for Leo, who could feel her soul and emotions.

Soon enough, the Palace staff came with their breakfast and they got to eating.

Awhile after they finished eating, they went and started doing their own thing. Zoro went to train. Chopper went and traded knowledge with the Royal physician. Usopp and Sanji went shopping, while Luffy tagged along.

This left Leo, Nami and Vivi with each other to talk. It was mostly Nami and Vivi talking, and Leo just listening and answering every now and then.

After an hour, the talking had died down and an awkward atmosphere enveloped the trio.

Vivi had started thinking over what she will do regarding her decision, but she just kept going in circles.

Nami wanted to help her, but she didn't know how and didn't want to make the decision for her.

Leo was getting frustrated by Vivi's chaotic emotions.

He abruptly stood up and walked infront of Vivi. Nami was wondering what he planned to do, while Vivi hadn't even registered his presence.

He raised his hand and then karate chopped her on the head.

*Bonk*

Leo - "STOP THINKING SO HARD!!"

Vivi - "OW!"

She held her head with tears in her eyes.

Nami was shocked.

Nami - "LEO! What the hel-"

She was cut off by him raising his hand.

Leo - "Vivi!"

Vivi looked at him, still in pain.

Leo - "I know we haven't seen eye to eye on a lot, but I think I know you well enough and can consider you a friend. God knows I don't have a lot of them anymore... You have shown that you are more willing to sacrifice yourself for your Kingdom, than you are willing to do something that's selfish for yourself. So you won't leave!"

Vivi started crying. Nami wanted to say something, but Leo continued.

Leo - "You love this Kingdom and that is why you won't leave it. Especially not right after you got it back and can start rebuilding. Honestly, you are infuriating. You're are will to sacrifice your life for your home and it drives me crazy that someone can be so selfless. You and Nami are so alike, and I love her for crying out loud, which makes it even more frustrating. I wish you both were more selfish, but if you were any different, I couldn't call you friend."

Her tears were falling like a waterfall now and Nami was looking at him smiling.

He knelt down infront of her and held her shoulders.

Leo - "I'm sure the others are the same. They may want you to come, but not if it means you have change who you really are. A girl, too good for the cruelty of this world, too selfless to throw everything away and run off to be a pirate. And no matter what, they will never stop seeing you as a friend and shipmate."

She dove into him, hugging him as tightly as possible.

Vivi - "Waaaahhhhhh!!! Thank you!! Waahhh!!"

Between sobs, she continously thanked him.

Leo put his arms around her and stroked her back to comfort her. Nami also went over and joined the hug.

Outside the room, King Cobra was leaning on the wall, he had a hand on his face covering his eyes, which had some tears falling. Beside him was Igaram.

Cobra - "Thank you... Vivi has made some good friends, hasn't she?"

Igaram - "Yes, you majesty. She has indeed..."

After a while of sobbing and hugging, Vivi had fallen asleep.

Leo had picked her up and lay her down on the couch.

Sat on a couch opposite and watched her as she slept.

Nami - "She looks so peaceful and relaxed."

Leo - "She was probably stressing about it all night and didn't get much sleep."

Nami - "Probably... But did you have to hit so hard? She'll probably end up with a bump for a few days."

Leo - "It'll help her remember what I said then."

Nami shook her head with a wry smile.

Nami - "Whatever you say... Anyways, I'm proud of you. Good job! And... I love you too."

She kissed himon the cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder.

Leo wrapped his arm around her and they sat and cuddled for a while.

A couple hours later, Vivi woke up. She was initially confused about why she was sleeping on a couch, but then she felt a bit of pain on her head from when Leo karate chopped her, and then she remembered everything that he had said to her and got a bit teary eyed again.

She was happy and relieved. She was now reassured that no matter what she chose, the crew and her would always be friends.

Leo noticed that she had woken up.

Leo - "Good afternoon. Feeling better now?"

Vivi sat up while wiping away the tears that had gathered. She looked at him with a bright smile.

Vivi - "Yes! I'm feeling much better. Thank you."

Leo - "No problem. If you ever need a knock on your head again, just ask me."

She glared at him with a pout.

Vivi - "Jerk!" (Baka!)

After a moment, the both of them broke into laughter. Nami just smiled at them.

The rest of the day went normally and time flew by. Everybody had returned and they ate together again.

When they had finished eating, Vivi announced to them that she had decided that she wouldn't be joining them in their journey, because she wants to stay and look after the Kingdom.

They were sad, but they understood. That doesn't mean Luffy didn't complain however.

It was decided that they would leave in the morning, so with it being their last night there, they had as much fun as possible before going to bed.

- The next morning -

The crew we all awake and set to go. Vivi came to see them off. (They are in their usual clothes)

Vivi - "Will you all be listening to my speech before you leave the island?"

Luffy - "You bet!"

Nami gave her a hug.

Nami - "I'm going to miss having another girl around."

Vivi - "Haha. You'll be fine. I'm going to miss you too."

Everyone said their farewells and then it was Leo's turn.

He walked infront of her and ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance.

Leo - "You are a huge pain in my ass and it's like I'm talking to a brick wall half the time... But I would hate if something bad happened to you, so here."

He made a white rectangular jewellery box in his hand and then opened it to reveal four white bracelets with a black X on them.

Leo - "Make sure to always keep one with you and if you're in danger break it, then I'll come and help you out. You should know what the X represents."

He closed the box and was about to hand it to her, but she jumped and hugged him with tears in her eyes.

Leo - "Hey now, don't cry. I don't want your snot on me. Besides, you don't want to be all puffy eyed during your speech."

She backed away from him while laughing and wiping her tears away.

Leo handed her the box, which she pulled to her chest, then he went over to the others.

He made a portal to Nanohana and they all walked through it while waving.

The place Leo chose, was the place they all hid when they first arrived in Alabasta. They had an hour or two to wait for her speech, so Leo made some shade and then sat against a wall.

- 1 hour 30 minutes later -

The towns loud speakers were turned on and Vivi's voice was heard.

Vivi - "I've been on an adventure..."

She proceeded to give the same speech as Canon, but without the part where she talks to the crew. (A/N: I ain't writing all that...)

Instead there was this:

Vivi - "On my adventure, I made some great friends that I want to see again someday. But, there is one person in particular, he is rude, ill-tempered and ruthless to people who get on his bad side. He tried repeatedly to show me that not everything is going to work out the way want it to. He wanted me to realise that sometimes a battle can't be won without blood shed, which I refused to accept, because I didn't want any of the people in this Kingdom to be harmed..."

Her words touch the hearts of the citizens.

Civi - "IT'S OKAY, PRINCESS!"

Civi2 - "WE UNDERSTAND!!"

Such word were shouted by many.

Vivi - "He did this to help me. So that, when the time comes, I will be ready... HOWEVER! I still refuse to accept it, because that would mean accepting you all getting hurt. I will continue to stand by my beliefs and never change who I am! Hehehe. I bet he is listening to this now and is absolutely furious! Hahahaha!"

Many people started to laugh along with her while others smiled.

The individual himself grinned slightly.

Vivi - "He is a total jerk!... But is one of the best friends I could ask for!! I know that even though I won't change and refuse to listen to him, if I need him, he'll still come to help me! So, WHEREVER YOU ARE, THANK YOU!!!"

Whole Kingdom - "THANK YOU!!!"

Back with the crew, Leo had his hood up and hid his face, which had a smile present.

Leo - "Stupid girl..."

The rest were also smiling and looking at Leo.

With her speech over, the crew left towards the sea.

When they got to the ocean, Leo brought the Going Merry out in the water and they all boarded.

Leo also messaged his clone, telling him that he could put Robin in the ship now, which he did and then dispersed.

They quickly set sail, but not 5 minutes later, they were shot at with a cannon.

*Boom*

A black spear was shot at them or more specifically, at Leo.

The spear went directly for him and hit him in the side of his head, making his head tilt to the opposite side a bit and the metal spear fold in on itself.

Usopp - "AHHHH!!! A DIRECT HIT!!!"

Nami - "LEO!! ARE YOU OKAY!?!?"

She was extremely worried for him. She knows he is immortal, but she still worries.

Leo pulled the once was metal spear off his face.

Leo - "Yeah, I'm fine. Just wasn't expecting that."

Then using the ability of the Munch Munch fruit through his Hellfire, which he had learned so that he won't be eating everything, he absorbed the metal.

Leo - "Now then..."

Looking around, one could see that the ship had been surrounded on four sides.

Leo - "Time to show them what happens when you shoot me with a cannon."

He walked over to the side of the ship and hopped into the water beside it.

The crew just looked at each other.

Sanji - "Do you think he's pissed?"

Usopp - "He did just get shot in the head with a cannon..."

Suddenly the boat started shaking violent and while rising out of the water, so the crew hung on for dear life.

After a few seconds, the shaking settled and the crew started looking around, when they looked up, they saw a huge flaming skull.

It was then that they realized that they were in Leo's hand.

Their jaws dropped a bit.

Zoro - "Yup. He's pissed..."

Leo in his giant Ghost Rider state, looked down on the Marines ships that like they were toys to him.

On the Marines ships, the soldiers were shaking from fear. Some were crying. Some pissed themselves. And others were screaming about a Demon.

Leo bent down and flicked the ships around him, sending them skidding away.

GR Leo - "Insects."

He then started walking, making his way through water and away from Alabasta.

Back on land, people saw his giant form and were freaking out.

When Leo had put some distance between them and the island, he put the ship down and shrunk back to normal size to get on.

Leo - "Those assholes... Now my neck feels funny."

Everyone just stared at him blankly.

Robin - "Well, that was shocking."

Everyone - "Right. Wait... WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?..."

(I am learning the Dao of Cliffhangers... Sorta.)

(Okay. I just want to rant for a bit. If you don't care, then don't read:

Writing is such a pain in the ass! I have so many different things going on in my head.

I can't think of anything for re:monster or Ben 10 right now.

But, I do have ideas for the Star Wars FF I talked about before... So that sucks...

Hell, I read a couple MLP FFs and now have something for one myself...

And, on top of all of that, I keep getting ideas for future worlds for Leo. Like seriously, I have plan to go to Doom for one thing, but it isn't until like world 8 or something... And just to do that one thing, I need something to happen here in One Piece that I have planned. THAT'S HOW BIG THE SET UP IS!!! It's good for the future, but is screwing me over right now!😭

K. I'm done.)