Chapter L: A Prelude to War...Again

Fire. There was fire everywhere. It was all burning. The heat seemed to seep through her pores, under her skin, into her very being. She stared, wide eyed and trembling, at the omnipresent flames as they consumed everything and everyone in sight.

As they consumed Ohara.

The sights and sounds drove her to the brink of insanity. The blasting of cannons, the whistling of deadly artillery, the agonized screams, the raging of the insatiable inferno, the rising of the suffocating smoke...for what seemed like hours, it was all Robin knew.

"Run, Robin!"

The familiar voice broke her out of her horrified trance even as she felt a bone numbing chill spread throughout her body, overpowering even the heat of the all encompassing fire. She tried to move as the gigantic form of Jaguar D. Saul struggled to his feet. Perhaps to do as she was told. Perhaps not to. It didn't matter; she just needed to move.

But she couldn't. Try as she might, she couldn't even budge an inch. What was wrong with her? Had her legs been frozen along with Saul's? She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she willed her body to do as it was told. Move!

"Run, Robin!" the voice came again. But it was different this time. She opened her eyes in shock. Saul was gone. In his place stood the ever determined Monkey D. Luffy, frozen from the waist down. His fists tightened as Marine Admiral Aokiji walked leisurely toward him. His arm blackened to obsidian as he threw his fist forward, faster than her eyes could keep track of, but evidently not fast enough for his adversary, who caught his fist in an icy grip. Luffy grunted in pain as the rest of his body began to freeze over. He turned towards her as the ice began to cover his face, the cold seeping into every last vein. "You have...to run…"

She stared in pure, unadulterated terror as the ice enclosed around the remainder of his face, which was still turned towards her. Unmercifully, Aokiji raised a fist, ready to strike.

No.

The fist collided with the frozen statue, and the brittle structure broke apart on contact. Whatever force had been keeping her from moving seemed to shatter along with that which had kept her going all this time. The spell broken, she sank to her knees in despair.

No.

The Marine Admiral turned toward her, his face impassive as he began walking in her direction. She didn't run like he told her. She couldn't, not anymore. There was nothing to run to.

"Three weeks," the man spoke emotionlessly. "You're not breaking any personal records, Nico Robin," he said as he reached toward her.

No.

Robin woke up screaming.

"Robin!" There was a voice shouting her name. Hands on her shoulders, shaking her. "Robin!" the voice came again. It definitely sounded familiar. She reached up to the hand on her shoulder. The contact seemed to anchor her back to reality, and her eyes focused before meeting the concerned face of her bunkmate.

"Nami…?" she asked. The navigator sighed in relief.

"Holy shit, don't scare me like that," she said. "Robin, are you ok?" Robin managed to give a weak nod, but taking into account how shaky it was, she guessed that it wasn't very reassuring. She could hear the loud beating of footsteps from outside the room just before the door was roughly opened, and the crew's chef, sniper, and doctor fell over each other in a rushed attempt to get inside the room.

"Robin!" Chopper shouted in worry.

"What happened?" Sanji asked desperately, searching the room for anything out of the ordinary, but finding nothing.

"Are you guys alright!?" Usopp asked.

Nami sighed. "We're fine now," she said, resisting the slightly irrational urge to scold them for not knocking. Once they untangled themselves from the floor, Luffy and Zoro walked in after them, less frantic but with unmistakable expressions of worry etched on their countenance.

Luffy walked up to Robin, having recognized the scream as hers. "Robin?" he asked gently, not bothering to vocalize the obvious question. Robin swallowed.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry for waking you all," she said. She watched as Luffy's expression softened from confusion to acceptance.

"I'm guessing it would be pointless for you to try and go back to sleep?" he asked with an understanding smile. Robin could only nod again.

"Well, it's a pretty nice night out," the captain said. "Anyone up for some stargazing?"

Robin began to protest. "It's alright, you don't have to–"

"To be honest, Robin," Luffy interrupted, "I don't think any of us are going back to sleep either. Maybe some coffee will do you some good. Sanji?"

The chef didn't miss a beat. "Coming right up! Coffee under the starlight. Seems kind of romantic. I'll even throw in some early morning breakfast!"

"Sounds great! I was dreaming about food anyway!" Usopp claimed. It always became hard to distinguish whether he was lying or not during times when it actually mattered.

"I'm not sleepy at all!" Chopper boasted.

Robin couldn't help but smile a little as the memory of the nightmare moved to the back of her mind, not forgotten, but dulled. "Thank you, everyone. That sounds nice."

As the male crew members filed out of the room, Nami hesitated before pulling Robin into a hug. "Remember you can talk to me about anything, ok?" she whispered.

Robin returned the hug and hummed in confirmation, and Nami let go.

As it turned out, star gazing wasn't too bad of an idea, as there was a meteor shower that morning. As the crew sat and ate under the shooting stars, Usopp instructed everyone to make a wish, before explaining the premise behind the custom to a curious Chopper.

Robin was silent as she gazed up at the sky, feeling as though the wish she wanted to make might just be unrealistic.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. That is, until the crew spotted a giant frog doing the front crawl, and opted to follow it out of sheer fascination. Said frog then proceeded to jump in front of a moving train that was seemingly running on the ocean. Needless to say, that didn't work out very well for the frog, who was sent flying despite taking a ready stance in an effort to oppose the train's momentum.

"That's one gutsy frog," Sanji commented.

"That's Yokozuna," said a young girl from what looked to be, strangely enough, a train station on the ocean. "He does that all the time. Hey, are you guys pirates?"

"Yes we are. I'm Luffy. I'm going to be the Pirate King," Luffy said, providing his signature introduction.

"Really?" the girl asked in childlike innocence.

"Yep!" Luffy answered.

"Cool. Hey Grandma! Pirates are here!" she yelled.

"Really?" came a voice from inside the building. "Hang on, I'll get the Transponder Snail!" A few of the Strawhats tensed as an old woman came out and started dialing a number. "Hello?" the woman greeted. "Who is calling? Huh? What do you mean 'what's my emergency?' Sorry, I think you have the wrong number." She then proceeded to hang up.

Said crew members now felt ridiculous. What the hell was that?

"So, you guys are pirates, huh?" the woman asked, attention now focused on the Strawhats. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kokoro. This is my grandaughter, Chimney."

"And that's Gonbe, our cat!" Chimney added, pointing down at a small animal that was quite clearly and unmistakably a rabbit.

"Meow!"

Make that a confused rabbit.

Nami proceeded to ask about the train they had seen, and Chimney explained that there were actually tracks in the water, which were built to carry the sea train, called the Puffing Tom, from island to island. She then revealed that the frog they encountered, Yokozuna, was always challenging the sea train to contests of strength, which he always lost.

"Kokoro-san?" Nami asked. "We actually came here following a Log Pose. It's pointing west. Do you know what island we're headed to, by any chance?"

"If it's pointing west, that would be Water 7," Kokoro answered. "The city of water is home to the best ship mechanics in the world. Even the World Government relies on their shipmaking."

"That sounds like a good place to spend the money we've earned," Nami stated. Immediately the mood shifted as the crew once again remembered that they would have to let the Going Merry go soon.

"Alright, it's decided," Luffy said. "At Water 7, we'll find a shipwright to join our crew."

"A shipwright?" Nami asked, eliciting a nod from Luffy.

"We have to make sure this doesn't happen again. So in addition to a new ship, we'll also get a crewmate that can repair it."

"In that case, take this," Kokoro said, holding out a piece of paper, which Nami took. "It's a map of the island, and a letter of recommendation. Give it to a man named Iceberg, and he'll get you what you need."

As they got ready to set sail again, Kokoro shouted after them. "One last thing! It takes a week for the log to set in Water 7! That will give you plenty of time to get your business done! We'll be returning to the city soon, so I hope to see you there!"

As they all waved their goodbyes, the Going Merry set out towards Water 7.

"Man, I'm bored again," Luffy sighed. They had been sailing for several hours now to get to Water 7, and most of the crew was now attending to their own business.

"When are you ever not bored?" Nami asked rhetorically.

"When I'm kicking ass and taking food?" Luffy answered anyway.

"You mean taking names," Usopp corrected. Luffy looked at him quizzically.

"Why would I want names? I'd rather have food."

"Well, that's beside the point. The expression is 'kicking ass and taking names,'" Usopp insisted.

"I prefer kicking ass and taking dames, myself," Sanji interjected as he walked by.

"Not you too, Sanji!"

Nami sighed as she checked their course again. They would be arriving soon, and then she could find a place to exchange all of the gold they had. They had a lot of errands to run in Water 7, but at least they weren't broke anymore.

"Hey Nami, I'm still bored," Luffy said.

"Well, find a way to entertain yourself then."

"Are you sure? The only thing I can think of is watching Zoro train you guys again," he said.

Nami had to suppress a shiver. The latest training session had been brutal, to the point of utter exhaustion. She and Usopp had nearly fainted, and Chopper had been pushed to the limits of his Zoan-enhanced stamina. Sanji and Robin were the only ones who didn't seem to mind, but even Sanji had been breathing heavily afterwards, and Robin had seemed to lose the subtle grace with which she always moved for a while until she had recovered from the strenuous activity. And all the while, Zoro had been laughing at them. The infuriating part was, when she had sarcastically invited him to join them, he had actually accepted the invitation and put them all to shame while continuing to laugh, as if the training was old news to him. She never knew the normally lethargic swordsmen could be so...sadistic. When she had mustered up the energy to yell at him about it afterward, he had actually had the nerve to say it was Captain's orders. Which it was...but still.

It seemed that Luffy was really determined to make use of their time at sea. Of course, this had been the case since they'd entered the Grand Line, but he had never pushed them this far before, which caused Nami to wonder what had changed overnight.

Searching for a way out, she quickly redirected his interest, "Hey, speaking of training, isn't Zoro lifting weights? Why don't you join him?"

"I don't lift...but maybe he wants to spar," Luffy speculated, before jumping off of the railing and going to seek out the swordsmen.

An hour later, the crew spotted Water 7 in the distance. Upon arriving, they were immediately enraptured by the scenery. It seemed that their journey wasn't going to get any duller after Sky Island. The island took water metropolis to a new extreme.

"Whoever said Atlantis sank into the sea was clearly lying," Sanji commented, a hint of awe in his voice.

"That's a huge fountain!" Chopper exclaimed in wonder.

"Blue Station?" Nami read off of a sign as they drew closer. "I wonder where we should dock."

"Hey, you!" a man in a small fishing boat called. "Pirates can't come in through the front! Go dock in the back!" The Strawhats stared blankly for a moment.

"Ok!" Luffy shouted jovially. "Thanks Mister!" The crew continued to take in the scenery as they brought the ship around.

"That's so cool," Chopper marvelled. "The city is floating on the water!"

"I don't think that's the case. The island has simply sunk into the sea. The city seems to be built on top of the previous buildings," Robin observed.

"Hey, you pirates! You can't dock here!" a random citizen shouted. "What are you here for? Plundering?"

"No, we just need supplies!" Luffy shouted back, not missing a beat.

"In that case, head down that way until you see a peninsula!" the man shouted, pointing. "You can drop anchor there!"

"Got it, thanks!" Luffy shouted again. Most of the crew was slightly bemused as they continued.

"You know, as far as people who know we're criminals go, I think this is the best welcome we've gotten since Whiskey Peak," Usopp pointed out, eliciting laughs from the others.

"Where was that?" Chopper asked curiously.

"It was our first stop in the Grand Line," Nami answered.

"Whiskey...Peak?" Luffy asked, his face turning red as he thought back. Zoro sighed.

"Sake Summit," he compromised.

"Oh, yeah! That place was fun!" the captain said gleefully.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Robin said in amusement. "Most of the other pirates didn't."

"Still, it does seem strange that they're so casual around us," Nami pointed out as they docked near the peninsula. "It suggests that they're used to pirates showing up. They don't seem to be afraid either."

"It's most likely because pirates come here often for repairs," Robin speculated. "As for the lack of fear, it makes me think that they have strong local law enforcement."

As they dropped anchor, they started to divide up the tasks while they were here. Zoro offered to guard the ship, before leaning against the railing of the Merry and promptly falling asleep.

"Lazy ass…" Nami muttered. "Ok, Luffy and Usopp, the three of us can form a group to inquire about the ship. We also need to find a place to exchange our gold. Sanji-kun and Chopper, can you two stock up on supplies?"

"Of course, Nami-san!" Sanji saluted, before jumping off the ship and onto land, Chopper following behind him.

"Hey Robin, can you come with us?" Luffy asked. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Certainly. I was eager to explore the city anyway," she replied.

"Wait, how are we going to carry around this much gold without drawing too much attention?" Usopp asked suddenly.

Nami hummed. "Luffy could lift it, but you're right. It would be better to leave it here for now. Maybe we could get someone to come directly here and make an estimate. With Zoro guarding, we don't have to worry about anything being stolen."

Their course of action decided, the group of four entered town. After renting two Yagura Bulls to make their way around, they were able to find the bank fairly quickly, seeing as the horse-like sea creatures knew their way around quite well. Luckily, the bank was able to fulfill their somewhat strange request, and sent an accountant to take a look at what they had so that they could give an estimate.

Deciding not to waste time, they agreed that Nami would stay at the bank and handle the transaction while the rest of them went to the shipyard.

Meanwhile, with Zoro…

The Franky Family were quiet as night as they snuck up on an unsuspecting Zoro. Walking across the deck of the Merry silently, they gripped their swords.

"Don't even think about it, unless you want to get cut up," the swordsman said, eyes still closed and leaning against the rail. The Franky Family stiffened, getting ready for a fight, until Zoro let out a snore. "Stupid love cook...call me Mosshead one more time, I dare you…"

Zanbai smirked. His bounty may be high, but he wasn't too bright. He raised his sword and brought it down, only for it to be blocked.

"Alright, you asked for it...Great Whirlwind!"

The Franky Family let out a collective scream of pain as they were launched off of the ship by a whirlwind of blades. Zoro sheathed his swords and collapsed back onto the deck of the ship, still asleep.

"That'll teach you...Dartboard Brow…"

"So Captain-san, what did you want to talk to me about?" Robin asked.

"Well, do you remember the Revolutionaries that we ran into on Jaya?" Luffy asked. Robin nodded. "Well, they're on the island."

"Really? Do you know what they want?" Robin asked.

"Most likely nothing from you. They seem to have taken an interest in me after Alabasta," Luffy replied. "I just thought you should know." That and I wanted to keep an eye on you...

"I see. Thanks for telling me," Robin said.

"This place sure is lively," Usopp commented as they made their way towards Dock 1, deciding that the current conversation wasn't really for him.

"It's not surprising, since the shipwrights here are legendary," Robin answered. "I wonder if we have to make an appointment?"

"Helloooo! Anyone there!" Luffy shouted from behind the railing.

His shouts attracted the attention of one of the dock workers, who Luffy quickly recognized. His features were quite unique, so it was hard not to remember his face.

Especially since he was a CP9 agent.

"Hey, are you square Usopp?" he asked.

"Who's that?" the man asked quizzically. "Well, whatever. What do you need?"

"We have a recommendation letter from Kokoro at the Shift Station," Robin replied, pulling out the letter that Nami had given her. "Would it be possible for us to meet with a man named Iceburg?"

Luffy observed the interaction carefully. To Squarenose' credit, his eyes didn't even linger on Robin before he looked down at the letter. Seeing as Robin hadn't reacted in the slightest, it was safe to say that she didn't know who he was. That worked out just as well. As much as he wanted to just go ahead and kick CP9's collective asses right here and now, he wouldn't be able to explain that away. He had no proof of their affiliation with the World Government, and they wouldn't be able to get a new ship if he did that. So he would have to bear with the fact that they were here for now.

"Well, Iceburg is a busy man, but he also has a tendency to spontaneously cancel all his appointments," the undercover agent said. "It depends on his mood, to be honest."

"Is he that busy?" Usopp asked. "Who is this Iceburg guy anyway?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Iceburg is the Mayor of Water 7, as well as the president of Galley-La Company, and the manager of the sea-train," the man replied. "My name is Kaku by the way. I'm one of the shipwrights of Galley-La Company's Dock 1."

"Damn, he's a really important guy then," Usopp said, amazed.

"Definitely. He's known to everyone in Water 7. Why did you need to meet with him? If you just need your ship repaired, I can handle it for you."

"Actually, we need a new ship," Luffy said, his voice dropping as a hint of shame spread across his face. "Our old one is damaged beyond repair."

"Oh, that's too bad. Is the keel damaged?" Kaku asked.

"The keel?" Usopp repeated. He too, was rather subdued.

"It's the piece of wood that holds the ship together. If you don't know what that is, how do you know it's damaged beyond repair?"

Usopp sweatdropped. "It...kind of told us."

Kaku stared blankly. "...It told you?" he repeated dumbly.

"It appeared to us in the form of a small child and told us it wouldn't make it much farther," Luffy said bluntly, although with a hint of depression still in his voice.

"Well then…" Kaku said. "I've heard of legends like that, but I've never actually met anyone who claimed it happened to them. Nevertheless, I should probably check for myself, unless you're set on a new ship."

"No, it's fine. You can check," Luffy replied, causing Usopp to feel an irrational hope despite already having been resigned to the fact that the Going Merry couldn't sail anymore. Kaku then proceeded to jump off of the shipyard building, surprising Usopp and Robin. When Usopp questioned his well being, a voice from behind them spoke up.

"He'll be fine. He does that frequently." The three of them turned to see a blue-haired man with a small white mouse in his shirt pocket. As the man approached them, his gaze lingered on Robin, and his eyes narrowed. This put the raven haired woman on guard instantly, but he averted his gaze and continued speaking. "People call him the Mountain Wind. Everyone around here has their talents. He's the chief mechanic of Dock 1, so I guess it's not surprising that he would stand out quite a bit. Even if I'm not sure how he does what he does." He turned to a woman following behind him. "Kalifa?"

"Strawhat Luffy, Demon Wind Zoro, Nico Robin, and Black Leg Sanji," she stated, causing the man to narrow his eyes again and Usopp to sweat at the fact that they'd been identified that easily. "A combined bounty of 404 million Belly."

"Well, that's quite the sum," the man drawled. "Oh, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Iceburg, the Mayor of Water 7."

Meanwhile, with Zoro…

Kaku hopped onto the Going Merry and took a look around. It was a nice ship, but it wasn't likely to make it much farther through the Grand Line even if they could repair it. It simply wasn't sturdy enough.

Suddenly, Kaku was forced to duck as the man who had been sleeping on deck reacted to his presence with hostility. Shoot first, ask questions later, huh? he mused as he hastily dodged another sword slash. Upon observing his assailant more closely, however, his eyes widened.

"Out of my way, you giraffe bastard…"

This guy...he's still asleep!

"Hey, wake up!" he shouted, launching a kick at the swordsmen, which was effortlessly blocked. Kaku managed to avoid injury using Tekkai. Luckily no one was around but the two of them, so no one had witnessed it...and the blow seemed to have woken his opponent up.

Zoro rubbed his eyes and yawned before taking a look at the who he had been attacking. "Oh, damn. I reacted on instinct. Sorry about that," he said, even though he really wasn't.

"No problem, I guess…" Kaku said with a shrug.

After a short conversation in which Iceberg introduced his personal assistant, Kalifa, and cancelled all of his appointments in the process, Robin handed him the letter from Kokoro, which he took a look at and then immediately ripped up.

"Hey, wait! What's the problem!?" Usopp panicked. "One of your workers went to check out our ship, but if it turns out it really can't be repaired, we're going to need a new one to set sail!"

"Ok," Iceberg responded easily. "If it can be repaired, we'll repair it. If not, we'll sell you a new one."

"...Why'd you rip up the letter then?"

"The lipstick stain disgusted me. Kokoro and I are old drinking buddies. Anyway, since I'm bored, I'll give you guys a tour of the shipyard." Just then, the three Strawhats heard Nami calling out to them.

"Luffy!" she shouted, running up to the group. "We have a problem!"

"What is it?" the captain asked. "Your estimate was wrong?" he guessed.

"No! Granted, they didn't tell me its real value at first, but I managed to weasel it out of them…but they can't pay us that much! They don't have enough to trade for all of it!"

Iceberg, who'd been listening in, raised an eyebrow. "How much are we talking here, Miss?"

"1,200,000,000 Belly," Nami answered, causing the man's eyes to widen slightly.

"Wow, you were that accurate?" Usopp said in amazement.

"Well, now that's quite the sum," Iceberg stated. "No wonder our banks couldn't pay it. Still, Galley-La Company itself should be able to handle the transaction if it's really that much."

"Really!?" Nami asked, practically glowing. "But the gold is on our ship. Do you need to send someone for another estimate?"

"No need. Once we verify its value with the bank you went to, we can…" he trailed off as a familiar sounding argument reached his ears. "Is that Lucci and Paulie?" he asked.

"Yes, it seems that Lucci had to help Paulie escape from his debt collectors again," Kalifa confirmed, causing Iceburg to sigh.

"I'm not even sure why he bothers at this point."

"This Paulie guy sounds like he wouldn't want to meet Nami," Usopp commented.

Meanwhile...with Zoro…

"300% interest...my ass…" the swordsmen mumbled before letting out a snore.

The crew turned towards the two bickering workers who were making their way over in curiosity. The second Robin's eyes landed on the one called Lucci, her eyes widened, and she paled considerably. Her breathing became heavier, and her pulse quickened. When the two met eyes, Lucci's widened as well, before narrowing. Before Robin could say a thing, he gave her a small, subtle shake of the head, and any thoughts she had about confronting him instantly vanished from her mind.

She never knew a simple shake of the head could be so threatening. Her eyes instinctively wandered to both Nami and Usopp, who were both completely oblivious to the peril of the situation, along with all of Dock 1, apparently. She swallowed thickly before she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She turned and locked eyes with Luffy. His eyes were significantly softer than Lucci's as he gave her the same gesture that the assassin had.

The trained CP9 assassin. And he knew. Luffy knew exactly who this man was, she had no doubt.

Things had just gotten rather complicated.