Reunion

"There! I've released all the hallucinations! Now you'll stop right?!" Miss Spa Day plead desperately.

Cherry focused on her Life Sense and noted that her devil fruit signature had disappeared from the soldiers. The royal faction soldiers quickly surrendered seeing the reality of their situation. The rest of the royal army had retreated, leaving them behind and vastly outnumbered.

"It would seem you've spoken the truth. Very well, I'll end our little game here. Though it was more fun than I expected, I hope this doesn't awaken anything in me..." Cherry said.

Miss Spa Day smiled in relief. Cherry poked her forehead and injected her vital energy, causing Miss Spa Day to promptly fall unconscious.

"Now I'll just stash you away somewhere and come pick you up later. Don't worry, I won't kill you... maybe. Depends on how well my Devil Fruit Suppression Seal works out, but not to worry my little test subject, I'll do my best." Cherry said.

Her talks with Chopper about his understanding of devil fruit have been very enlightening and she had various ideas she wanted to test out, but no test subjects to test them on, until now. Miss Spa Day's devil fruit was too dangerous to leave alone, so she was the perfect specimen.

'Wouldn't hurt to learn her massage arts either.' She thought.

Cherry put Miss Spa Day into a dumpster where she belongs and gave herself a pat on the back for a job well done.

'Now then, I'll do a quick scan to see where I'm needed most.' She began to pass her Life Sense over the city.

Out side the south west gate she found Chopper's devil fruit and two other devil fruits. She concluded that this fight was already over as the other two were not moving.

Within the city there were two more devil fruit signatures, one of whom was fighting someone with a large amount of vital energy, most likely Zoro. She'd stop by there to see if they need help.

She turned her attention elsewhere and found it settling upon the palace. The first thing she noticed was a group of four individuals approaching the gates with vital energy like great burning flames.

'Oh! They must have taken something to burn their life force. That's exactly the sort of thing I need to make cultivation pills.' Cherry made a mental note to ask King Cobra for some later. 'He should be feeling generous after helping to save his country, right?'

Inside the palace she first found a Zoan devil fruit user, probably one of the royal guards that King Cobra told her about briefly.

Next she found what she was pretty sure to be a Logia devil fruit user, almost certain to be Crocodile himself.

'And one more devil fruit user...' Cherry paused on this one, because it was greatly familiar to her.

'Robin? What are you doing here?' Cherry thought, confused at the turn of events.

Cherry went forth quickly. She passed by the fights between Miss Doublefinger vs Nami and Mr. 1 vs Zoro. Nami had just won her own fight, a pleasant surprise, and Zoro seemed on the edge of some breakthrough in his swordsmanship. She disturbed neither of them and kept going towards the palace.

Cherry climbed onto the roof tops and pass over the square. She saw Koza waving a white flag of surrender with the Royal Army before getting shot in the back again.

Cherry could only slap her forehead at the ineptitude of it. 'Idiot! I told you there were infiltrators in the rebel forces, why wouldn't you assume the same of the royal army?!'

The fighting erupted in earnest as a result. The rebel forces assuming their leader was backstabbed again and the royal army fighting to survive.

Cherry saw Crocodile dangle Vivi over the edge of the palace walls and drop her. She was going to leap over to catch her, but a giant eagle with Luffy riding on top swooped down to catch her instead.

Cherry observed their dramatic scene and was a little disappointed in Luffy for apparently losing against Crocodile once already. Luffy had a barrel on his back and when he launched himself up onto the wall and punched Crocodile, his wet fist actually hit him.

'Actually using that pea brain of yours, huh Luffy?' Cherry thought. 'Better late than never, I suppose.'

Cherry peered over the edge of the roof at Vivi and the other Straw Hats who just showed up. Hearing Vivi telling them about a massive bomb, she jumped down to them.

"Hey. You should check that clock tower over there. There are two people inside the clock room." Cherry pointed it out. She noticed the two before, but hadn't thought anything of it since they didn't look strong via their vital energy.

They didn't waste time and rushed into action.

Cherry jumped up to the top of the palace walls where she found Luffy and Crocodile in the midst of their fight. Luffy squatted down and his legs moved like a pump, his skin turned a reddish color and steam started to come off of him.

"Looks like you have Mr. Alligator handled, Luffy. I'll take care of the woman who ran off with the King." Cherry said and Luffy nodded.

The last thing she saw of their fight was Luffy seeming to vanish and slamming into Crocodile in the next instant, far to fast for him to react.

'I see your late night "transformation practice" has payed off, Luffy.' Cherry smiled.

Cherry didn't try to catch up with Nico Robin right away, instead following behind in secret. She wanted to know what she was after.

After a short scuffle with some marines, Nico Robin pressed onwards with the King by her side.

Eventually they made their way into a secret passage way and Cherry followed from a distance, thinking this was likely to be what she wanted to find, but also remaining on guard in case it was a trap King Cobra was leading her into.

At the end of the passage way, there was a large dark stone block with some sort of writing on one side. Robin seemed to be able to read them as he focus was completely on the block.

Cherry silently slipped inside, she gestured to King Cobra to remain quiet and fortunately he had the wherewithal to do so.

She approached Nico Robin from behind, slowly creeping forward. Then she purposefully made the slightest noise to test her.

Robin's eyes widen and she didn't hesitate, raising her arms and sprouting limbs on the stealthy assailant. "Clutch!"

"ATATATATA!" Cherry let the arms yank her head backwards, for old times sake. It was even less of a problem than the first time it happened, but it did still hurt a bit.

Nico Robin spun around to see her attacker. She froze and released the arms on instinct.

"You certainly aren't very good with surprises are you, Robin? Hehehe." Cherry giggled, lying flat on the ground.

King Cobra was dumbfounded. 'Just what is going on? Is Cherry and ally or an enemy?'

Nico Robin could only stare in shock for several moments before breaking her silence. "Cherry? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you, Robin. Though it is apparent that we've found ourselves on opposing sides of a conflict." Cherry said, standing up.

"I do hope you have a better reason for doing this than being hungry for power. It would leave a terribly bitter taste in my mouth to find out my first friend grew up to be a boring, petty crook." Cherry said, searching for answers in the woman's face.

Nico Robin looked at Cherry, her only living friend in the world.

King Cobra, on the other hand, only had one thought. 'Nearly destroying my kingdom only makes her a boring, petty crook?'