"There's no way we can go to the Grand Line like this," Nami tells them, attracting the attention of the three men. "We don't have a proper ship, we don't have proper supplies, and we don't even have the beginnings of a full crew. The Grand Line is a place crawling with powerful pirates on powerful ships all searching for One Piece. Given our lack of...well, everything, there's no way we could survive." Run nods in agreement, reclining back against the railing of the boat.
"Yeah, we need to add a cook!" chirps Luffy. "Ohh! Let's find a musician, too!" A round of laughter echos from Zoro and Run earning themselves an insult from Nami. After a few moments to collect herself, their navigator informs them that an island is a bit south of them would be a good place to stop to resupply, and attempt to aquire a proper pirate ship. Naturally, they're on board. It's a good place to acquire some booze, and some meat, after all. After several more hours of sailing, they find themselves sailing head long towards an island beach. Very carefully they beach their boats with Zoro and Run jumping out to pull them further up onto the sand to prevent them being sucked out during high tide.
"Aaaah! Dry land once again," sighs Zoro, stretching his arms skyward.
"There's a town here on the island," Nami tells all of them, unrolling a map to scan it's surface. "But apparently it's fairly small. Ehh...we may not be able to find what we're-"
"Hold on," Run tells her, scanning their surroundings carefully before finally turning his attention to the top of the cliffs that over look the beach. "Oi! You up there! Come on out!" As if spurred to action by his words, numerous flags suddenly rise from the brush at the tops of the cliff, and a dark haired man with a long nose swaggers out.
"I'm surprised to managed to sense me!" laughs the man. "I am Usopp, leader of the great pirates who reign over this village! If you're planning to attack this village, then you can forget it! Me and my eighty million subordinates won't sit by quietly! If you know what's good for you, then you pirates had best just leave!"
"Eighty million?" echos Nami. "Are you sure? Are you sure that it isn't more like...three?" Three boys immediately pop up from the bushes behind the man, and take off at a sprint away from the beach. Luffy, Zoro and Run all break out into laughter while Usopp begins sweating bullets. After a few moments of tense silence Luffy, Zoro and Run all break out into laughter, much to Usopp's surprise who stares at the trio in bewilderment.
"Ya know, you're a dead ringer for your old man!" Run calls, smiling at him.
"W-What?!" shouts Usopp. "You know my father?!"
"Yup!" Luffy chirps. "Yasopp sailing with Run's dad, Shanks!"
"E-Eh?! Your dad is the great pirate, Red-Haired Shanks?!" Usopp loses his balance the next moment, and tumbles down the cliff to the beach. Though, he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear as he immediately jumps to his feet and approaches grinning happily. He leads them into town, to a small bar where he bombards Luffy and Run with all kinds of questions about his father. How he's doing, and how strong has he become. He also shows an interest in Run, for being the son of a 'great pirate' as he put it. It's pretty clear that Usopp is eager to know all he can about the man and it becomes difficult for Run to answer the questions in an unbiased way.
No matter how hard he tried there was always a disconnect between the Yonko 'Red Haired' Shanks...and just his dad Shanks.
To Run, he was a goof-ball, a booze-hound, a notorious womanizer, and above all else, a good father before he was 'Red-Haired' Shanks. When Usopp has finally stopped asking about his father, they take that chance to ask him if there might be somewhere or someone that they could get a proper ship from.
"Well...as you can see, it's really just a tiny village," Usopp tells them. "Sorry, but I don't think we can live up to your hopes."
"What about that mansion on the hill?" Zoro ventures. "I noticed it on the way here."
"Do you know them?" Nami asks, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Do you think that you could ask them for a favor?"
"No!" shouts Usopp quickly. "You absolutely cannot go there!" His sudden outburst leaves the four of them in a stunned silence, and after a second the man quickly stands. "A-Ah! Sorry, but I just remembered something I have to do!" With that the man quickly dashes out the door.
"Huh," grunts Run. "Wonder what got into him?"
"Who cares?" Zoro asks, topping off both his and Run's mugs. "Drink." Run grasps his mug, lifting it and upending it to drain it's contents completely. Of course, no sooner has he set it down on the table than the doors to the restuarant are thrown open, and a trio of children come rushing in and straight to their table.
"You pirates!" scream the children. "What have you done with Captain Usopp?!"
"Usopp?" A sudden evil grin spreads across Zoro's face as he glares at the children. "If you're looking for that guy...then you're gonna be disappointed! Because we've already eaten him!" The three children turn as white as ghosts as they panic much to the amusment of Luffy and Run as well. After getting an ear full from Nami for being 'childish' they tell the children that he ran off, and they inform him that he went to visit the mansion, and a girl named Kaya. So, naturally, they decide that they need to go visit this Kaya as well.
"You all go ahead," Run tells them. "I'll settle the bill and catch up." Luffy, Nami and Zoro follow the kids out of the bar while he approaches the old man at the counter. He isn't surprised that the bill is so large considering Luffy's appetite, and sighs as he nearly empties out his wallet. After paying the bill he turns on his heel and walks out the entrance, pausing the moment the door closes behind him. Run turns his head up slightly, catching a wiff of a very familiar perfume and smiling softly. He follows the floral scent around the building, stopping at the corner when he finds himself confronting a dark haired woman dressed in a purple cowgirl outfit, complete with hat.
"Well, well. Isn't this a surprise."
"Hello, Run," the woman says, smiling at him from beneith the brim of her hat. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Define a 'while', Nico Robin." Run approaches closer, stopping to sit down on a small wooden bench beside the restaurant. "Your last letter was six months ago. It wasn't even much of a letter really. Just a few words, 'I'm going to be very busy, I may not have time to write'. Since then there's been nothing...and all I could hope was that I didn't read in the paper that you were in Navy custody or-"
"I apologize." The red head opens his mouth to continue and sighs heavily.
"Aaah, I sound like a mother hen." Robin giggles lightly in response, sitting down on the bench beside him.
"It's quite cute if that any consolation."
"It is, actually...if by cute you mean 'devilishly handsome'." Once again she giggles, and leans against him, tilting her head to rest lightly against his shoulder while being mindful of her hat. "Since you're here, does that mean you've finished whatever you were doing?" Robin gives him a gentle shake of head in response. "Aah, that's a shame."
"I actually believe I've hit a bit of a snag. It's quite frustrating, actually."
"Wanna talk about it? I'm a better listener than you might think."
"No. Not particularly."
"Well, is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not without leaving Luffy behind...speaking of, I saw Luffy heading for that mansion on the hill with two others in tow. I was a bit surprised when the swordsman seemed to sense me standing here...I narrowly managed to avoid being caught."
"He's got sharp senses. You need to watch out for him."
"Mm, I'll bear that in mind." Her voice sounds distant, and weary. Several moments of comfortable silence follow between the two before Run notices a small change in her breathing. Slow and deep...is she sleeping? Robin must be absolutely exhausted to fall asleep so quickly and in such an open place. He glances at the mansion on the hill and then at Robin before sighing softly. They're just going to pay a visit to this Kaya woman, right? Exactly how much trouble can they get into...?
----
It was little more than a hour that Robin stayed with him before finally setting off. While Run was hoping for a bit more time together, he also couldn't just leave Luffy and the others behind, either. So, after saying their goodbyes and receiving a promise to write more frequently, Run set off in search of his crew. Thankfully enough, he'd hardly even began to search before he happens upon Nami and Zoro standing by a small wooden fence with the three children from earlier. The children are too busy shouting amongst one another to notice his approach. "Oi! Nami! Zoro!" Run calls, raising a hand and offering a wave in way of greeting.
"Where the hell have you been?" Zoro questions the red head. "It took you that look to pay the bill?"
"Well, I got turned around on the way here, and then I sort of went for a bit of a walk to take in the sights." It's fairly clear from Zoro's expression that he doesn't believe a word of what he's saying but he simply offers him a rather disarming smile in response. "Anyway, where's Luffy gone off to?"
"Probably chasing after these kids 'Captain'." He nods in understanding. The child who was shouting earlier begins shouting again, going on and on about some strange looking 'backwards guy' coming their way and as if one que the person in question appears over the hill, moon-walking in their direction and only stopping when he's in front of them.
"Hey...who are you calling weird?" the man asks them. "I am not weird."
"Well, let's agree to disagree," chuckles Run.
"You seem pretty weird," Nami tells him plainly. The man introduces himself as a hypnotist much to the amazement of the children, who quickly forget about him being a 'weird' guy in their excitement. The man appears upset by this...but none the less produces a ring attached to a string and dangles it in front of their eyes.
"Alright, on 'one, two, Jango,' you'll fall asleep," he tells them, beginning to swing it slowly. "One...two...Jango!" All four immediately fall asleep much to the irritation of Zoro and the amusement of Run. Unsure whether or not they should wake up the man they instead decide to wake the children and leave the man to sleep it off. After all...it isn't exactly their problem that the man can't stay awake through his own hypnotism and he's not gonna end up getting hurt being left where he is. They wander down the path, led by the children who jabber on about this and that with Nami while Zoro and Run several steps walk behind them.
"So, Red, you wanna tell me what really held you up?" Zoro asks him.
"I was just catching up with an old friend," Run tells him simply. "Nothing to worry about. But what about the mansion? Did everything go well with Kaya?" Zoro explains the situation to him. How they'd been thrown out by a butler by the name of Klahadore, and they hadn't been able to secure a proper ship. They walk the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, listening to the children talk with Nami about this or that until their navigator finally stops and hops up onto a fence rail.
"Our Captain has been gone for so long," complains one of the children.
"Luffy, too," adds Zoro. "They'll be back when they've finished whatever it is they're doing."
"I'm sure he's fine," Run assures everyone. "He's probably just talking with Usopp about Shanks or Yasopp...or taking in the sights."
"Aah! Captain!" All eyes turn in the direction the kid is pointing to see Usopp sprinting in their direction.
"See? I told you that..." Run's brow furrows as he trails off. "Hm? Shouldn't Luffy be with him?" He rests his arms on the railing, watching the man approaching at a dead sprint.
"Hey, Usopp, where's Luffy?" Nami asks him, watching as he sprints by. "Wasn't he...?" He disappears into the distance, ignoring them entirely as he continues sprinting. "I wonder what's gotten into him? You don't think he's still mad, do you?"
"Who knows," mutters Zoro, trying to be calm but he can't ignore the feeling in his gut. "Hey, brats, where exactly is this place that Usopp goes to...?"
The place in question was a huge cliff over-looking the blue sea which seemed to stretch out without end towards the horizon. It's easy to see how anyone could come here to take in the view, especially during sunrise or sunset. "Boy, talk about a view," remarks Run, chasing it with a whistle of appreciation. "I can definitely see why he comes here."
"Our Captain comes here all the time," one of the boys tells the trio. "Usually when he's got a lot on his mind." The kids take a quick look around before deciding that Luffy is not here...which is easy for the others to see. Nami approaches the edge of the cliff and kicks a small stone over the edge.
"It doesn't look very stable here," complains Nami, gazing over the edge at the rocks below.
"Careful now, Nami," Run tells her, watching her closely just in case. "A fall from here would be pretty bad, ya know." The navigator nods in understanding, and steps back from the edge carefully. Something catches her eye, however, and she locks in on what looks like a body...which she immediately identifies as being Luffy!
"L-Luffy! It's Luffy!" Everyone runs to the edge, looking down at the rocks where their Captain has fallen.
"Zoro, we're going down there!" To everyone's amazement the two leap straight over the edge, plummeting down to land heavily behind the man looking no worse for wear despite the huge fall. It takes only a few moments for the children and Nami to slide down behind them. "He fell? Don't tell me he slipped and fell off?" Nami and the children go into a state of panic...which isn't even interrupted by a loud snore from the half-buried Captain in front of them.
"Quiet," Zoro tells them, silencing them immediately as another snore fills the air, and Run actually begins laughing in response. "Son of a bitch..." Zoro jabs him in the ass with the saya of his sword, immediately disturbing Luffy's sleep who pulls himself out of the hole with a loud yawn.
"Aaaah! Morning!" Luffy greets them, smiling.
"Did you have a good nap, then?"
"How the hell did you end up sleeping at the bottom of the cliff, Luffy?" Zoro questions him.
"Ah...aah! That! Well, ya see, I was hypnotized...I think. But that doesn't really matter because that butler guy is planning to attack the village with some pirates and kill Kaya." The kids immediately go into a panic and while it is somewhat amusing to Luffy, Zoro and Run it doesn't do anything to help the situation.
"If he's gone to tell the village that's good," Nami finally tells them. "That means that they'll have a chance to run away before the pirates show up." Agreeing with her on the issue, the children quickly took off down the beach, running towards home it would seem.
"Well, what do you wanna do then, Luffy?" Run asks him.
"Hmm," grunts Luffy, crossing his arms. "We should definitely go into town and stock up on meat before that guy runs away!" Zoro whacks him in the back of his head with his sword in retaliation, causing him to chuckle a bit. "Well, I guess...we should probably save this town, then."
"If it's the Captain's orders," Zoro replies, all three grinning at the prospect of an impending fight.
"Why are you three so blood-thirsty?!" growls Nami, glaring at the trio. "Don't you know when it's time to run away?! Why do you always have to rush head long into everything...?!"
----
The sun had nearly set by the time they caught up with the children, and even Usopp who was walking away from the village. The children called out to him, attracting his attention. Needless to say, he was rather surprised to see Luffy alive and well after his plummet over the edge of the cliff but he just laughed it off. The children questioned him about Klahadore but to their surprise he just laughed, saying that he had made the whole thing up. While the children accepted what he said as the undisputed truth, the others were not so convinced even as he sent the children on home for the night.
They followed the man to the same beach, and when they arrived the sun had set entirely, sinking below the sea and giving way to a star lit night.
"Why'd you lie to the kids?" Luffy asks him, looking down at the sitting man. "You seemed pretty sure of yourself earlier."
"Because I'm a liar," Usopp tells him. "Even when I'm telling the truth no one believes me. I tried to tell Kaya the truth but...it didn't go well." Usopp lowers his head shamefully. "This village is going to be attacked tomorrow and there's no one that is gonna believe me. I don't know if I can save this village but...even so, I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Usopp stands up quickly, a look of determination on his face that just doesn't quite reach his knocking knees. "I'll protect this village myself if that's what I have to do!"
"Jeez, that's so sweet that I think I'm gonna get a cavity," complains Zoro, grinning from ear to ear. "You pushed your crew away to confront these pirates on your own even knowing that you don't stand a chance against them just so they wouldn't get hurt...I can respect that kind of courage."
"Hah, now we're definitely gonna help you!" chirps Luffy, cracking his knuckles loudly.
"Our fathers go back a long way," Run tells him, offering up a smile. "You need my help? You can always count on it, Usopp."
"Y...You're really gonna help?" Usopp asks them, unsure if he's heard them correctly. "Why?"
"Cause you look absolutely terrified," Luffy, Zoro and Run tell him in unison, pointing at his still shaking knees.
"I-I don't need your sympathy! If that's all this is then-"
"Not a single one of us would risk our lives for something like that," retorts Zoro bluntly. "We're simply honoring your courage to fight these guys by yourself."
"We don't need any other reason than that," adds Luffy. This earns a grin and a gush of emotion from the sharp-shooter, who goes on and on about how he cannot believe that they're risking their lives to help him which most of them just ignore for the most part. After a bit of questioning Usopp tells them that the only way the pirates can get to the village, and Miss Kaya is to go through a small slope which they would make impossible to do with a well placed oil slick. "That seems pretty easy!"
"It's pretty easy to say...but we'll be fighting a bunch of pirates! The rest will depend on what we can do against them. What can you guys do?"
"Cut."
"Stretch."
"Steal."
"Brawl."
"Good! I know how to hide," Usopp tells them, only to be screamed at by the others. "I-It was just a joke! Relax...!"
----
The whole slope is covered in it, doused with several barrels of oil to ensure that no one will be able to get up. It's taken them nearly the entire night to set this up but it should all pay off in the end. "Well, I'd say that should do it," remarks Run, sitting on one of the empty barrels. "The only thing that could go wrong is if someone slipped." They sit in silence, watching the sunrise and waiting for the arrival of Klahadore and his pirates.
"They should be here soon," remarks Zoro, gazing at the rising sun. "The sun is coming up."
"Now...I don't mean to doubt you, but you're sure this is the right place?"
"Well...they had their meeting here, so I assume this should be the place," reasons Usopp, arms crossed as he stares down the slope.
"That isn't a yes, ya know."
"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Nami suddenly asks them, hands held up to her ears. "It sounds like yelling from somewhere else. You...You don't think the pirates are coming up somewhere else do you?" She turns to look the sharp shooter. "Is there anywhere similar to this near the village?"
"Similar to...c-crap! There's a place like this to the north! If they come up there...!"
"How far away?" Run asks, standing quickly and turning to face him. The man stutters in response, and Run repeats the question with more urgency, "How far, Usopp?" He quickly explains that it would only take a few minutes to reach the shore if they ran there. Naturally, that's all Luffy need to hear in order him to set off running with Usopp tailing. "North shore...wait, wait wait. Isn't that where we left our ships?"
"Wait a second...we did!" shrieks Nami. "The ships! They're going to take our ships! We need to-" Before she can finish her sentence, she slips on the oil and reaches out to grab the nearest thing to catch herself. Which just so happens to be one of Zoro's swords and results in him being pulled down the slippery slope with her.
"O-Oi, Red! Gimme a hand!" shouts Zoro reaching out just in time for Run to snag his wrist. Before he can even begin pulling up the swordsman, Nami actually climbs up his back and uses him, and then Run as stepping stones to get back to the unslicked ground while the two men go slipping and sliding all the way to the bottom of the slope.
"Sorry, but I can't let them take our ships! I'm sure the two of you can figure out a way back up!"
"I'm gonna kill her!"
"Temper, temper," Run tells him, staring up the slope and trying to think of some way to get them back up. Before Run can even begin to figure out a way up, Zoro charges right up the slope, slipping and sliding on the oil but still managing to get half way up before sliding back down. "Just trying to run up it isn't going to get us anywhere."
"You got a better idea?"
"Relax, I'm thinking, I'm thinking," chuckles the red-head. The two look around for a moment, trying to come up with some way to get up. "There's no hand-holds, and scaling the cliff is outta the question. Maybe if we-" Before he can finish Zoro goes charging up the slope again, this time using his swords to pierce the stone and claw his way up. "What the...? Oi! Little help!"
"Sorry, Red. At least one of us has gotta go help Luffy! Just try to catch up quickly!" Saying that, Zoro sheathes his swords and charges up the slope to disappear into the forest.
"Wha? The betrayal!" The red-head charges up the slope as well, but succeeds only in slipping and sliding back down. Again, and again he tries but always with the same result, and all the while the sounds of fighting continue to grow louder and louder in the distance. "Alright! I'm startin' ta get irritated!"
"You seem to be in a bit jam, Run," calls an all too familiar voice, drawing a smile to Run's face. The familiar figure of Robin slowly begins to descend the slope, stopping just short of the oil slick with a rather charming smile on her face. "Could I offer some assistance?" Without waiting for him to respond, she crosses her arms in front of her and numerous arms sprout from the oil slicked ground in front of him, interlocking and creating a make shift bridge.
"Well, excuse me." Carefully, Run crosses the oil slicked slope and when he's finally reached the opposite side, the arms quickly disappear. "I owe you one."
"Mm, I'll remember that, then." The sounds of fighting intensify once more in the distance. "I think that's your cue, Run. You don't want to keep them waiting..."