13 I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight

I'm back guys, I'll be posting less (2-3x a week) but chapters will be longer. I'm so sorry I've been gone! I've been very busy with life and I got really sick a few months ago, but I'm here and started at a Ph.D. program, so life's good for now. I'm also writing a mystery novel in my free time, so bear with me as my writing should (hopefully) improve. 

I've made some changes so stuff is easier to read. The italics will have speech, and bold will have location names and/ or time to set the scene. This should make my writing easier to understand. 

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Sipis Island, West Blue

Sipis was a small, quaint island in a relatively isolated area. It was covered mostly with forests, with the only settlement being near the coast. The name of the town was Seneca. 

A small attache of soldiers from Marine Branch #82 had been camping out in the forest after making landfall in the middle of the night as traders so they would not tip off Nico Robin. Pirates were rare in these waters, though there had been a slight uptick due to news about the "indestructible stone". However, most of the people who came looking for such a stone were the adventurer types, so the town of Seneca still hadn't suffered any adverse consequences from the new visitors. 

What no-one had realized was that among the visitors was a 19-year old Nico Robin. Though she had learned most of the skills of her trade, she still wasn't as mature and experienced as she would be in in 13 years when Luffy sets sail. Her disguise coupled with modifications to her face and body using her fruit did make her hard to connect with the images on the bounty posters of an 8-year-old, but anyone with a keen intuition would be able to realize her eyes were too far out of place -- too inquistive, too bright, too hopeful -- to be part of a crew of pirates, even if they were adventurers and not plunderers. She was still 19, after all, and the prospect of finally having a lead on her dream after a 11 year period of just surviving would have made anyone expectant. Coupled with the lack of Marine presence, she was cautiously optimistic for the first time in a long time. 

However, contrary to her belief, there wasn't any sort of historical text here, but an insidious trap. 

Marine Warship 27-E, Off the Coast of Sipis

Lounging in a pool chair, I looked over some documents for the branch while sipping a nice red wine. Nice to see that despite it's backwardness in some aspects, the alcohol in this world was still top-tier. I had been waiting for Nicole Robin for around a day, while a stand-in for myself had gone to Rickette island. Much like Aizen's double in Bleach, I had trained one of my underlings in my mannerisms and used my fruit to everyone into thinking he was me. Of course, my double was recruited from an orphanage under the promise I would help provide for them, so he was bound to be loyal. Of course, I still had my usual safeguards in place to prevent any ideas of defection. As for the CP members I had met, I had created a new technique based on Sugar's Toy-Toy fruit that wipes out the memory that anyone had of the person she turned into a toy. I instead, using my body double as a medium, my fruit "infected" the cognition of anyone who would look at him and turn him into Sosuke in their eyes. It wasn't nearly as powerful or wide-reaching as Sugar's fruit, but it was good enough for the CP forces that were not proficient in Haki and had no mental defense. Of course, in case a CP-0 arrived, I had a contingency plan but regardless, I wasn't going to make much of a shot anyway so it didn't really matter. 

Of course, the CP's also had a gift left for them on Rickette that would make Robin's life much, much harder. Of course, it's a rule of life that things must get worse before they get better, right?

Rickette Island, CP Ship AE-7

"Pero pero pero"

"Rhizo speaking"

"Has the plan to encircle Nico Robin begun? We cannot have any mistakes this time? It has been nearly 11 years! They are getting impatient for results"

"Spandine, remember you are not my boss, we just work together. Don't muck around in my business. I'll call you once we have her secured". 

*Click*

Rhizo had been part of the CP organization for nearly 17 years now, and his mission completion record was nearly perfect. The only time he had ever failed was when it came to Nico Robin. For the past ten years, she had become almost his obsession - to catch her and to perfect his record. He had specifically asked his superiors to be put on the job of following her. He would catch her, no matter what it took. 

As he led his men slowly towards the center of the island, they executed a blanket search over the entire island. No stone would be left unturned. He would dig her out, even if its the last thing he did. 

As his people entered the final couple of streets, he noticed a suspicious movement in one of the windows. Directing all his people to surround the house, he broke the door and began a thorough search. As he entered the basement, he noticed barrels of a black liquid that were just lying there. Confused, he came closer, only to realize that it was crude oil that had leaked over the basement of the entire house, and they had most likely rushed into a trap. 

Suddenly, a massive explosion occurred from the houses right next to the house Rhizo was in. As the flaming debris shattered the house he was in, the already primed basement burst into violent flames, creating a firestorm of epic proportions. 

A few hours later, marine headquarters would receive the report that the operation had failed, and the the life or death of Rhizo and the CP agents that had accompanied him remained unknown.