Rain pounds loudly against the windows of the kitchen. Their first few days in the New World have certainly been...interesting. They quickly discovered that the weather changes on a dime here, something that Run didn't have much of a chance to warn them of when they surfaced. One moment it was raining drops of water bigger than the Sunny, then it was hailing, then snowing hard enough to be a blizzard and finally it switched to a heat wave fit to match any summer season. When everything had finally...eased off, so to speak, it settled on just raining cats and dogs. So, with things more or less calm, the crew has finally taken the moment to enjoy some much needed rest and recovery.
"Hmm," hums Run, staring at the pages of the book. "Mmm! Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." He raises an arm and tucks a hand behind his head. "Yeah, nope! No matter how many times I see 'em, I think these Poneglyph letters will always just look like a bunch of squiggles to me." Robin giggles a bit in response, glancing over her shoulder at the red head lying in the middle of her bed. He's kicked his geta off, tossed his coat across the back of her chair and even left his cutlass well within her reach...it seems that he's more or less made himself at home in the girls room.
"It's not as complicated as it seems once you understand it," Robin assures him, turning slightly on her chair. "Of course, understanding it is the difficult part."
"No doubt."
"It's an apology from someone named 'Joy Boy'." Robin turns away from him now, picking up her tea cup as she recites 'Joy Boy's' apology to the people of Fishman Island in regards to a promise he made to them some time long ago. When she's finished she glances over her shoulder once more, finding Run now sitting on the edge of her bed and staring intently at the pages. "Understand?"
"Still looks like squiggles."
"Well, it's enough that you try." He closes her journal with a soft 'thump!' and stands with a sigh. "Maybe one day when we have more free time I can teach you." Run approaches and gently places her journal down on the table in front of her.
"It's going to take a lot of free time."
"Mm, would that be a bad thing?"
"No, not at all. You, me and PLENTY of free time...I'm sure that I could learn a lot. That said...I don't think that we're gonna have much in the way of free time until everything is said and done." He takes a seat in the chair beside her. "Aah, now that I think about it, Rayleigh said that they learned it all on Laughtale. What do you think you'll do after the dust settles? After you learn about the Void Century?" Robin is silent for a moment, clearly considering the question, before she finally places her tea cup back down.
"Truthfully...I'd like to settle down. Somewhere quiet where we can actually put down roots." A grin slowly appears on Run's face as he reaches out and captures her hand. "Maybe write a book about where we've been and the thing's we've seen." Robin slowly twines their fingers together before giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "What about you? You'll have no doubt surpassed Shanks by then. Have you thought about what you'll do or where you want to go?"
"Aah...not really. Wherever I am, as long as you're beside me that's home enough for me-- whether it's some long forgotten ruin, a quiet village or even some cabin in the forest." He pauses for a moment to wink at her. "Aah, especially if it's just you and me all alone." Once more Robin gives his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Mm, well, what if...it WASN'T just you and I?"
"Dahaha~. What? Do you want the rest of the crew to tag along? Somehow, I don't think the quiet life suits all of us...but the more the merrier, as they say."
"Not exactly. What if, when the time comes--" Her words are cut short when the ship suddenly lurches, pressing the the two of them into their seats, and then leaving them weightless moments later. The two of them hang tight to their seats as gravity takes hold again, and Luffy's laughter echos loudly, followed by a brief crash of lightning.
"What in the hell is going on out there?"
"I think our Captain is enjoying the New World." After quickly pulling themselves together, they make their way to the deck of the Sunny. The rain is falling in sheets, and the ship is pitching this way and that as they make their arrival.
"Look! Look!" calls Luffy, pointing past the bow. "That volcano is erupting! There! I wanna go to that island!" The sea ahead of them is, for lack of a better description, completely ablaze.
"Wait a minute, Luffy!" Nami cries. "None of the needles are even pointing to that island!"
"But there's a volcano, and it's right there! Who cares about the needles?"
"There's something wrong with that island! Besides, that we couldn't get any closer even if we wanted to! Just look around you! The water around it is on fire! Even in the New World it's too strange! Look! There's fish-bones floating in the water!" Loud sobbing suddenly echos across the Sunny, attracting everyone's attention back to the kitchen. Luffy is there in a flash, sprinting past the whole crew into the kitchen and toward the noise, which happens to be coming from the transponder snail.
"Oi, what's wrong with the transponder snail? It's crying! What's wrong? Do you have a stromach ache?"
"Aah, it's an emergency call," Run tells him, stepping into the kitchen with the rest of the crew on his heels. "Someone is most likely in trouble." The red head approaches the snail, reaching out for the receiver.
"Wait," warns Robin. "Nearly fifty percent of all emergency calls are fake. It's a trap often used by the Navy. If the line is tapped and you answer it, they'll know exactly where we are." Run pauses for a moment before flashing her a grin.
"Yeah, but there's a chance someone is actually in trouble. What if--"
"Hello!" calls Luffy, snatching up the receiver. "This is Monkey D. Luffy. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"You picked up too fast and said too much!" Usopp shouts, slapping Luffy in the back of the head.
"Help!" screams the voice. "It's so...so cold! Is this the boss?!"
"N-No, this isn't the boss," Luffy tells the man. "You said cold?"
"My comrades are getting cut down one after another! The samurai are gonna kill us!"
"Where are you?! What's your name?!"
"S-Someone please help me...I'm on...Punk Hazard!" The man suddenly screams loudly, the sound enough to raise the hair on the back of one's neck, before going completely silent. The line goes dead afterwards, and Luffy places the receiver back down.
"I smell trouble." Usopp and Chopper immediately yell at their Captain for his obvious statement.
"It could still be a trap," Robin offers.
"Aah, he said 'samurai' now swordsman," mutters Run. "That's what the call the swordsmen from Wano Country...but I'd heard that the place was completely closed off to the outside world. They say that the swordsmen called 'samurai' are so strong that even the World Government gives them a wide berth."
"But that man said Punk Hazard, not the Wano Kingdom," asserts Franky. "Do you think he meant that island of fire that's right in front of us?"
"If he was using a baby transponder snail, that's about how far it could reach," Robin tells them. Everyone moves to the entrance of the kitchen, and stares off into the distance at the island engulfed in flames. It seems highly improbable that the man is actually there. After all, there doesn't seem to be a single part of it that isn't actually on fire.
"Alright!" shouts Luffy. "Let's go to that island...!"
- - -
With their Captain's mind made up, they've maneuvered the Sunny as close as possible to the flaming sea surrounding the island and dropped anchor. Despite the fact that it seems impossible for anyone to actually be surviving on the island, or the fact that they're not even sure if this IS the right island, Luffy has decided to push forward and have a look. So, they've gathered at the bow of the Sunny to make some final preparations.
"So...who's going to go?" Sanji asks. "Since there's some uncertainty about the signal, we shouldn't all go."
"Franky, I need the mini-merry," Luffy chirps.
"Aah, I'm drivin'!" Run says quickly with a grin.
"Hold on!" cries Nami. "Are you two planning to go by yourselves?"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"Of course! If we let you go by yourselves, then you'll just run off without telling anyone!"
"Relax, relax!" Run tells her. "I'm going with him, so I'll make sure to keep a close eye on--"
"No way! If you go, then you'll just let him do what he wants! It's the same as not sending anyone at all!"
"So, he needs some company," Sanji says. "Not the random belly-warmer guy, though." This immediately sparks an argument between Zoro and Sanji, the two shouting at one another loudly.
"I'll tag along, then," Franky tells them.
"It does sound like fun," agrees Robin. Usopp and Chopper quickly bow out from the trip, but Nami decides that the best way to figure out who will go is to draw straws. She quickly produces a number of strips of paper, and holds them out for all of them to draw...
- - -
"How come I never get to take any of Franky's inventions for a spin?" complains Run, leaning against the railing of the Sunny. "I mean, it's not like I'm asking for a lot. Just one time I want to drive one of his contraptions." Robin giggles a bit in response.
"I'm sure they will be plenty of chances," Robin assures him.
"Here you go, Luffy!" offers Sanji. "I made a special lunch box for the trip." Luffy accepts it quickly, drooling slightly at one corner of his mouth. Franky is quickly preparing the mini-merry for travel while Nami surprises them all by creating a cloud bridge through the sky to allow them to cross over the flames. With the mini-merry prepared, and their route determined, they set off. The lucky winners of the draw are Luffy, Zoro, Robin, and Usopp. As the mini-merry charges down the bridge, the rest of the crew cheers them on, despite Usopp's pleading for someone to trade places with him.
"Nami, do those clouds truly reach the island?" Brook questions, watching them disappear over the flames.
"I have no clue," Nami admits. "But if it's Luffy, I'm sure he'll find a way."
"That's so reckless!"
"Aaah, I'm glad I didn't get picked," sighs Chopper, clinging to the railing of the Sunny. "I can't stand the heat."
"Whew~! I agree, doc," Run says, scrubbing a hand through his now sweat slick hair. "To hell with all this heat. Sanji, I don't suppose you could whip up something cool, huh?"
"You," begins Sanji with a huff, slowly crossing his arms. "I'm going to make something for Nami! You can have what's left over!" The red head grins and leaps up to sit on the railing of the Sunny while the cook quickly dashes into the kitchen. Several long minutes pass before he returns with a tray of frozen deserts and chilled drinks.
"It's so yummy, Sanji! I thought I was gonna melt in the heat!" gushes Chopper.
"Aah, you're alright, casanova!" Run adds, sipping his drink. "I don't care what anyone says about you!"
"You looking to take a swim, red?!" Sanji shouts, glaring at him.
"You two are so lively even in this heat! Yohohoho~!" laughs Brook. "Aah, I feel a sharp pain! Oh? Are my teeth sensitive?"
"The clouds above the island are split," mutters Nami, turning her attention towards the skies above the island. "One half is burning hot and the other is freezing cold. I wonder why?" Run glances over his shoulder at the clouds in the sky. To his eyes, there doesn't seem to be any difference between the clouds close to them and the one's further away.
"Really?" Run questions her. "It's the New World, so I suppose things like that can happen even on a single island. But I don't really...uh..." The red head shakes his head violently, as a sudden drowsiness begins to over-come him. "Whew~! You, uh...ahem, you put some alcohol in this or what, Sanji?" Nami is next, nearly slumping down beside Run but managing to catch herself on the railing. Run slides off the railing, catching himself as his legs nearly buckle under his own weight. Chopper immediately jumps to his feet looking at them both.
"Nami? Run? What's wrong?" questions Chopper. Nami collapses beside him, and try as he might he can't even keep himself standing with the help of the railing. His vision rapidly begins to dim around the edges as his eyes slide closed.
"Whole...whole ship is...spinnin'..."
- - -
"Shit!" gasps Run, jolting awake suddenly. "Aah...my head is..." His words trail off as he slowly takes in his surroundings. He's lying in the middle of a large room, completely by himself...and missing his cutlass for that matter. With a grunt, he flips from his back and onto his feet. "Well, well...here I was thinking casanova might have spiked my drink. Dahahaha~! Guess I owe him an apology!" Settling his gaze on the large metal door to the room he approaches it slowly, and places a hand on the surface with a grin. "Guess I should bust out before anyone comes back. Hate to make a racket but...!" He draws back, his arm turning an inky black before he launches his fist at the door. "Sea King's Bite!"
The harsh groaning of metal fills the air even before his fist connects with the surface, and the massive door seems to fold in on itself as it's blown off it's hinges flies away. It crashes through a wall opposite of the room, tumbling several times before settling in a hunk of mangled, and mutilated scrap.
"Dahahaha~! It's a jail break!" He casually steps out into a hall, tossing aside a small crumpled, deformed piece of metal with a soft clatter. He glances down both ends of the hall before raising a hand and scratching the stubble on his jaw. "Hmm...which way should--"
"Was that an explosion?!" demands a voice from one end of the hall. "Let's go!"
"It came from the containment room!"
"Oh-ho, time to go!" Run turns in the opposite direction, and takes off at a sprint down the hall. The sounds of numerous footsteps echo behind him, accompanied by the occasional shouting voice as he blindly twists and turns through the maze like halls of wherever he's found himself locked up. "Aah, I'm never gonna give these guys the slip like this! Unless...!" He suddenly slides to a stop, and ducks into a room off the hall. As quietly as possible he closes the door behind him, and listens as the sounds of the footsteps grow closer, and closer...and then begin to slowly fade into the distance. "Whew~! Talk about a close..." The red head turns away from the door, his words trailing off as he finds himself confronting a rather sterile looking lab room. A single large tank occupies the center of the room, with a strange small white and black mottled fruit floating in a viscous liquid. "...shave?"
Briefly glancing over his shoulder at the closed door, Run slowly wanders the room, passing by the numerous work stations scattered around. He picks up a clip-board from one of the desks, idly flipping through the papers before coming to a sudden stop.
"Hoh~? 'Mythical Zoan'?" He looks at the Devil Fruit floating in the tank with a grin. "I bet you're worth a fortune! Aah, Nami would beat me black and blue if I passed up an opportunity like this. Let's see..." The red head looks back at the clip board, skimming the contents. "...Dog-Dog Fruit, Model--" A sudden loud 'boom!' shakes the whole room, and Run immediately turns his attention to the door. "Dahahaha~! That's gotta be the rest of the crew!" He tosses the clip board over one shoulder and approaches the tank. "Looks like you're comin' with me!" He draws back, and immediately punches through the thick glass to grasp the fruit. "Oh-ho-ho-ho! That fluid is so SLIMEY! Gross~!" He pulls the fruit out and steps back before tucking the Devil Fruit away carefully into the pocket of his coat and exiting the room.
Gunfire, and shouting echos from down the hall, and with a grin he goes chasing after it. It takes him less than a minute to cover the distance between himself and the disturbance...in which he finds Franky firing at a small gathering of men in strange suits.
"Haah! 'Scuse me, fellas!" calls Run, dodging through the group and covering the distance between himself and Franky. "Franky! Good to see ya!"
"Yow~! It's SUPER good to see you, red hair!" Franky says with a grin. Their resident cyborg turns away from the defeated men, and the two take off at a sprint down the hall. "We were worried when we woke up and you weren't with us!"
"Aah, maybe they had something planned for me? Good thing I broke out when I did!" The two men quickly catch up with a retreated Nami, Chopper and Sanji.
"I see you managed to make your escape, too," Sanji says. "Were you the one who made all that racket before?"
"Good to see you, too, casanova! I-- is that a friggin' severed head in your hands?! What the fu--"
"Waaaaah! Sanji! You brought the scary guy?!" screams Chopper, looking at the head cradled in one of Sanji's arms. "He's dangerous!" Run carefully scoops the little doctor up and quickly tucks him under one arm as they continue their retreat.
"I'll take responsibility!" declares Sanji. "Look! There's a door up ahead!" The red head sprints ahead and bashes through it with his shoulder, shielding Chopper from any potential threat that may be on the opposite side. But rather than a hail-storm of bullets or sea of guards, they find themselves in a vibrantly decorated...children's room? Spread out in front of them are a multitude of toys, play houses and games...and giant children. "Giant children?"
"Ch-Children?!" demands the head.
"It spoke," Run says, turning his attention to the severed head. "I'll be damned." Nami immediately swats Run in the back of his head.
"Don't curse in front of children!" orders Nami quickly. "Now...what is going on? Is this the Island's daycare or something?"
"They're big...but are they giants?" asks Franky. "Did we come to an island of giants?" Run gently sets Chopper down on the ground as he scans the room. It looks like...well, like a day-care for children but there aren't any adults to be seen.
"Can't be," Run tells him. "There's some...well, not so giant children here as well."
"H-Hey, who are you?" asks the tallest of the boys.
"I don't recognize them," adds the tallest girl. "Oh! They must be the one's who got frozen! Did you escape?" In that moment, it seems that the children have finally taken notice of Franky...who immediately becomes a huge hit with the boys in the room, all of which cry 'Robot!' and rush to have a better look. For his part, Franky seems to enjoy the attention, immediately beginning to show off for them. The girls take notice of Chopper, immediately taken in by the little 'tanuki' that's appeared before them despite his protests that he's, in fact, a reindeer.
"Franky sure is popular with the boys," mutters Sanji, not noticing the child approaching him until he's standing beside him. "Huh?"
"Spiral eyebrows!" says the boy pointing at him.
"You brat!" Sanji immediately finds himself surrounded by a number of children, all pointing at his eyebrows.
"Dahahaha~!" laughs Run, eyes beginning to water. "They sure pegged you quick, huh, casanova!" He's so busy laughing that he doesn't notice that there are several children surrounding him now as well...at least until one of them grasps the side of his pant leg. "Huh?" He looks down quickly at the child holding onto the side of his pants, and the little girl gives him a shy gap-toothed smile. "Aah, hey, kiddo." He crouches down and gently pats the girl on the top of her head. "My name is Run. What's yours?"
"Hana," replies the girl.
"That's a very pretty name, Hana." The red head notices a number of other children approaching now, all gathering in front of him. "Could you tell me what you're doing here?"
"We--"
"Oi, children!" screams a loud voice. Everyone comes to a stop, their voices dying off quickly. The children surrounding Sanji immediately back away from the cook as quickly as possible. "Do you know a child named Momonosuke?! He's just a boy!" The children take off running away from the severed head, and hide behind their large number of their toys. Run approaches quickly, and picks the man up by his hair.
"WHY...would you scream at a bunch of children when you look like that? Are you insane? Do you--" The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching from the hall they came through attracts their attention. "Aah, give us a break."
"They're coming," calls Franky, grabbing Chopper up and depositing him on his shoulder. "Let's run to the back! We can hide there!" Two children comes out of hiding to quickly run with them, leading them towards a place to hide safely, it seems.
"What kind of place is this?" questions Sanji. "C'mon! Tell me!"
"I'm looking for a boy named Momonosuke!" demands the samurai. Once again he scares the children, who begin to run quicker. Nami responds by slapping the samurai across the cheek. "I got hit by a woman! This is a dishonor to a Samurai! I should commit suicide!"
"Yeah, yeah," sighs Run. "I've been hit by her plenty of times! You'll get used to it after the first few whacks."
"Hey, Mr. Robot, did you come from outside the island?" a giant blond boy asks.
"Yeah, of course!" Chopper tells him. "But I'm a cyborg, little guy."
"Do you have a ship?"
"Oh, yeah! Our ship the Sunny is the best!"
"Then, please help us!"
"Is this place not a day-care after all?" asks Chopper. The children continue their begging for the crew to take them away from the day-care that their in while they run towards the exit. Nami stops briefly, listening to the children cry for her to take them along. After a few moments, and a shout from Sanji to keep running she follows after them.
"Please, big sis!" cries a giant black haired girl. "Help us!"
"Let's take them with us!"
"We can't, Chopper," Franky tells him. "We don't even know how to save ourselves! There's no way that we can take that many kids. But what is this?! I have a feeling something tragic is going to happen!" The kids eventually quit chasing after them, having run out of breath it seems.
"Then...Then, please," begins the dark haired girl. "Come back and save us later!" Nami comes to a sudden stop. "I knew! Even if I've never been out of this building! There is nothing on this island, right?! There is no city! There is no one else! That's why no one comes to help us! I just want to see my mother and father! Sis, please come back! Come to help us later!" After several moments of pause Nami turns to face the children.
"Let's help these children!" Nami demands. Everyone comes to a stop, and finally turns to face her and the children.
"What are you talking about, Nami?" Sanji asks. "We don't actually know if these children really need help! This place could actually be a hospital, after all! We just met them and don't know what's going on here! It's not our job to help every single person!"
"I understand what you're saying but...you can't turn your back on a child crying for help!" The suited men chasing them eventually come to a stop several meters away, and raise their weapons. Regardless of the fact that the children are between them, it seems that they intend to fire. Nami makes a break in their direction, weaving through the children as quickly as possible. The next second, however, the men collapse. Their weapons clatter to the ground as the men fall face first to the ground, lying motionless as Nami slowly comes to a stop, and turns to look back at the red head. "Wha...Run?"
"Aah, I get it, I get it!" Run tells her with a grin. "If you wanna save the kids, then let's save 'em! The point of life is to live freely, right?"
"She's kind to kids," sighs Sanji. "I like her even more! Oi, brats! Follow the beautiful lady and the raccoon! I'll fight our pursuers. But don't get me wrong! I'm just doing this to answer Nami's beautiful wish to help you kids. In fact, I don't like you all precisely because Nami likes you so much!" Nami and Chopper quickly call the children to follow as they quickly run away. "Franky, Red, you two don't have to do this."
"If not us then who?"
"Letting down Armored Franky fans is not an option for me," laughs Franky. "We're gonna fight anyone who tries to give chase! Bring it on...!"