Chereads / In Order To Protect Everything / Chapter 23 - Chapter 22: Among the Ashes

Chapter 23 - Chapter 22: Among the Ashes

sorry for late chapter ,but here it is so enjoy:)

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Flashback

In a remote port town somewhere in the Grand Line, a Marine battleship was moored along the coastline, watching over the town like a silent guardian.

On the deck of said battleship, Aokiji was leaning back on his lounge chair with his sleep mask pulled over his eyes. Luffy sat rocking on a chair beside him, reading out the reports he held in his hand to his mentor.

"From Marine Headquarters, the eighty million beri pirate Dan Silvers is scheduled to be executed within the week. They are requesting for a battleship escort to transport the prisoner from Impel Down…"

Luffy looked up from the reports at his mentor, tilting his head to the side.

"Teacher, how do we decide how much bounty to put on a criminal?"

Aokiji answered without lifting his mask, "it's decided on how big of a threat they are to the World Government."

"Then what did Nico Robin do to earn such a high bounty?"

"Luffy," Aokiji gave a sigh. "We talked about this before, you're better off not knowing…"

Luffy frowned, he didn't like all the secrecy. He already had his share of it while in CP9 and it sickened him to always hear the same excuse over and over again.

"You're better off not knowing."

So what was he supposed to do? Continue to follow his orders blindly? He didn't choose to be a Marine for all this secrecy.

He looked up at his mentor once more, "Please teacher, I want to know what she did. I don't think I can deal with killing her without knowing what crimes she committed to warrant such a bounty..."

Aokiji sighed deeper this time, "Luffy, really, you don't want to know…"

"Teacher… please, I…"

"Alright, alright…" Aokiji sat up suddenly, pulling his sleep mask away. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

For the next hour, Aokiji explained in detail the events that unfolded in Ohara, about the truth behind Robin's bounty and how her existence was a threat to the World Government.

All the while, Luffy had took it all in, his anger rising with each passing minute.

"That means her sentence is unjustified!" Luffy protested.

Aokiji shrugged, "that's how things work around here, Luffy. The ones in power will always want to protect themselves and the powerless ones are the ones to suffer."

Luffy gritted his teeth, "This isn't fair… She's not a criminal!"

"Unfortunately, she is one in the eyes of the World Government. I know how you feel about this, Luffy… But if you value you and your grandfather's position, I'd suggest that you not voice your opinions so openly."

Luffy winced, knowing full well what would happen should he be charged with treason.

"Isn't there anything I can do to save her?"

Aokiji raised an eyebrow, "If you're adamant about saving her, it'll be up to you to find a way…"

"I'll do it!" Luffy yelled confidently.

Aokiji held up a finger, "But if I were to find her first, I will do everything in my power to eliminate Nico Robin."

Robin came to a halt as Luffy appeared in front of her, both his hands raised in a placating gesture.

"I know the truth behind your bounty."

Robin glared at him while crossing her arms in front of her, "What do you know?!"

Six hands appeared around Luffy's body, grasping on to his limbs and neck.

Luffy's eyes widened in surprise, "Wait! I don't mean to-"

"Seis Fleur: Clutch!"

"Tekkai!"

Luffy resisted against the submission move with all his might while Robin used all her strength to push down on his limbs.

Luffy gritted his teeth, "Nico Robin! I have no intention to harm you!"

"Lies! You're his apprentice! There's no way you're any different from him!" Robin furrowed her brows, increasing the pressure on Luffy.

"Armament!"

"Ocho Fleur: Flip!"

Two more arms appeared on Luffy's back as the other arms altered their hold on him, attempting to flip him on his head instead.

"Kami-e!"

Luffy let his body go limp, letting the arms flip him but instead of crashing into the ground, he floated gently downwards, as though he was just laying himself down.

"Listen! I can help you!" Luffy yelled out frantically, pushing himself up when the hands disappeared.

"Impossible! A Marine like you would never help someone like me!" Robin cried, fury evident in her voice.

"Listen! I can try to-"

"Trienta Fleur: Clutch!"

Thirty arms appeared all around Luffy, grasping on to him with incredible force.

"Freestyle Armament: Tekkai!"

Luffy furrowed his brows as he resisted the submission move again.

"Robin! I don't agree with what they did to you! I'm trying to help you!"

"Why would you help a criminal like me?!" Robin glared at him.

"I'm not a believer of absolute justice! Just hear me out! If I intended to kill you I would've done so already!"

Robin gritted her teeth but finally relaxed her hands, dematerializing the other hands that held on to Luffy.

"What makes you think you have any power to help me in the first place? The words of a Commodore shouldn't hold much weight in Marine command."

"I have a number of connections I can use."

Robin raised an eyebrow, though her glare didn't diminish, "Connections that can supercede the words of a Marine Admiral?"

"Well…. Sort of… Besides, not everyone has to know that I've put you under my wing. The Marines have other things to worry about."

"Things like?"

"The Revolutionaries for example," Luffy grinned mischievously.

Robin frowned at him, his actions didn't match what she thought he would do.

"You told me you were named Monkey D. Luffy, yes?"

Luffy nodded enthusiastically.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Garp the Fist, would you?"

Luffy brightened at the name, "he's my Grandpa! Do you know him?"

Robin let a very slight smile cross her face, "I know him for someone who never likes following the norm."

"Shishishi! It runs in the family!"

Robin watched the Marine in front of her carefully, "I guess that explains some things… How are you planning to save me then?"

"Join my crew as a Marine," Luffy grinned innocently.

Robin stared at him incredulously, letting the silence drag on for a long moment.

"Mr. Commodore…" Robin sighed finally. "I'm a criminal… No one will ever accept me as a Marine… No one sane enough in Marine command will ever accept my Marine application."

"I will!" Luffy pouted.

"Even if you do, it's not enough to override my status as a criminal."

"It'll work out somehow!"

"Mr. Commodore… I don't think things are that easy…"

"Well, you can use your knowledge to help the Marines?"

Robin scowled, "I'd rather kill myself than let those disgusting monsters use me to further their own agendas. And therein lies the problem Mr. Commodore, even if I am accepted as a Marine, the World Government would still come after me regardless. The Marines is not a safe place for me."

Luffy thumped his chest proudly, "I'll protect you, Robin. I won't let any harm come to you."

Robin was slightly taken aback, it was the first time anyone had said that to her with his level of honesty.

"I don't understand, why are you trying so hard for someone you barely know? Aren't you doing this so you can get something from me?"

Luffy grinned, "because I'm a Marine, I protect the innocent. I don't need any other reason for that."

Robin blinked, speechless at the Commodore's answer.

"I do have to warn you though, my teacher is still adamant about getting rid of you, so if you see him, run in the other direction."

"I… I see…" Robin nodded slowly, her eyes not leaving Luffy. "Why don't you give me some time to think about it? I'll give you an answer when I have decided?"

"Shishishi! Alright! I'll be looking forward to your answer!"

Robin turned to leave, already making plans to leave the country as soon as she could. But what Luffy said next brought shivers down her spine.

"Robin, Aokiji said he would do everything in his power to eliminate you… Let me protect you."

Robin peeked at the Commodore from the corner of her eye, all the carefree attitude was replaced by a cold seriousness, as though his jovialness from earlier was a mirage.

Robin shuddered at the thought and simply nodded before leaving.

Luffy watched her disappear around the corner of a building before slumping down on the floor once more, his breaths coming out in gasps. Throughout the whole exchange with Robin, he kept up his facade of being alright, but in reality he was already exhausted from the fight with Crocodile.

"Ha… Ha… I'm still too weak… Just a few moments of using Freestyle Armament and I'm already this exhausted… I need to get stronger…"

Luffy got the idea of Freestyle Armament from Jabra's Tekkai Kempo, combining his haki with his Rokushiki skills in order to enhance them. It allowed him to increase the power of his Rokushiki techniques up to three times the original but doing so puts a lot of stress on his body, tiring him out easily.

He smacked the sides of his cheeks lightly, "Alright! I can't rest now! There's still the bomb to take care of!"

Luffy pushed himself up, ignoring the various pain that his body was going through and made a beeline towards the clocktower in the distance with Soru.

He arrived to find Smoker and Hina staring up at the clocktower, a rather prominent looking cannon barrel sticking out from the clockface.

Hina noticed their Commodore standing behind them, "Luffy? What happened to Crocodile?"

"Sleeping in the palace courtyard, Shishishi!"

"You don't look all that well though," Smoker noted how Luffy's breaths were more ragged than usual.

Luffy just waved his hand nonchalantly, "I'm just worn out from the fight, that's all. I'll be fine. More importantly, we'll have to take care of the bomb."

All three of them looked up at the clocktower again.

"Well, no doubt on where the bomb is," Smoker grunted.

Hina nodded, "We just have to get up there then."

"So what's the plan? Take the stairs up?" Smoker glanced at Luffy.

"We'll fly up," Luffy grinned.

"Hina shall be in your care then, Luffy." Hina held out her arms towards the Commodore.

Luffy lifted her up in a princess carry, making sure that she had a firm grip on him before nodding to Smoker.

"Geppo!"

"White Launcher!"

Luffy kicked himself up into the air while Smoker blasts himself upwards with his smoke alongside him, both of them reaching the clock face at the same time. Two figures are seen laughing and dancing behind the cannon.

"Ohohoh! It's a great day today isn't it, Miss Faaather's Daaay?"

"Ribbit! Ribbit! That's right Mr. 7! We'll definitely be promoted after this mission!"

"Torikako!"

Hina thrusted an arm out towards the agents, sending a black colored bar that stretched from her palm and smashed itself against the agents. The bar split itself apart and enveloped them, trapping both in their individual lock bars. While Miss Father's Day was still recovering from the shock, Hina kicked her across the head, smashing her unconscious towards the wall.

"White Blow!"

Smoker punched out his fist that dissipated into smoke to crush against Mr. 7, smashing him against the other wall of the clocktower and rendering him unconscious.

The three Marines stepped into the clocktower, ignoring the subdued agents that lay sprawled in both corners of the room.

Luffy took a look down the barrel of the cannon, finding the bomb sitting at the end of it and a very conspicuous clock counting down on the surface of the bomb.

Luffy clucked his tongue in irritation, "It's on a timer…"

Both Hina and Smoker furrowed their brows at this.

"Damn it, that damn pirate thought of this too, didn't he?!" Smoker spat.

"Vexing… Hina is vexed… What shall we do?"

Luffy climbed into the barrel of the cannon, pulling out the bomb behind him.

"We'll throw this up into the air and let it explode above the city."

Smoker stared at him incredulously, "You think you can throw it high enough such that the city isn't affected by the blast? This thing was supposed to take out a huge chunk of the city, we'll have to at least throw it as high as those Drum Rockies to be sure it doesn't cause any damage!"

Luffy grinned mischievously, "That's where you come in, Smokey!"

Smoker's jaw dropped, "No… No, no, no, no, no…. You aren't thinking of…"

Hina stifled her laughter as she saw the sparkles in Luffy's eyes, "Hina believes he is, Smoker."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Smoker sighed dejectedly, stepping out onto the edge of the clock face.

"What's wrong? You already did it once before!"

"Just because I did it for you when you're sick doesn't mean I like it, you know?!"

"Come on Smokey, we're doing this to save a country after all!" Luffy laughed, jumping on to Smoker's shoulders while holding on to the bomb with a hand.

Smoker just grunted as he stepped further out of the clock tower, looking up at the sky and ignoring the still laughing Commodore he had riding on his shoulders.

"I'm only going to do this once, ya hear?" Smoker growled at Luffy.

"You better hurry, Smoker, the clock is ticking," Hina giggled from behind, trying not to laugh at the scene.

"Tsk, better hold on tight then, Luffy…" Smoker said offhandedly.

Luffy immediately grabbed a fistful of hair with glee.

"Ow! OW! Not the hair! Damn it!"

"But you told me to hold on tight!" Luffy whined.

"Forget it! Just don't fall off!" Smoker yelled, already changing the bottom half of his body into smoke.

Without so much as a warning, Smoker exploded himself upwards, carrying both Luffy and the bomb as high up into the sky as he could.

"This is as far as I can go!" Smoker yelled.

"Thanks Smokey!"

Luffy leapt off Smoker's shoulders, gripping tightly on the still ticking bomb.

"Freestyle Armament: Geppo!"

A loud boom was heard as Luffy kicked the air underneath him, blasting him higher up into the sky with the bomb trailing behind him in his right hand.

With a loud yell, Luffy tossed the bomb up into the sky, watching it disappear into the clouds to explode safely. The Commodore gritted his teeth as pain coursed through his body from using his skill, almost as though his muscles were ripping themselves to shreds.

"Well… At least the city's safe now…" Luffy sighed, letting himself freefall back to the ground.

Except the bomb didn't explode above the clouds.

All three Marine officers watched in horror as the bomb began plummeting back towards them.

"Damn it! Did we throw it too early?" Smoker cursed, landing on the roof of the clock tower in a cloud of smoke.

"Smoker! Do you think you can get back up there again?!" Hina yelled from the clock face.

Smoker glanced at the freefalling Luffy, "The air's too thin up there! I can't even reach to where Luffy is now!"

"Freestyle Armament: Geppo!"

Luffy coughed painfully as he felt his body protest against the use of his skill again, he could already feel himself nearing his limit and even his vision was getting blurry.

Blasting himself up once more, he gripped the bomb firmly as he rushed past it, taking note of the clock that continued ticking, mere seconds away from detonation.

'I'm not going to make it...' Luffy realized.

"Freestyle Armament: Tekkai Sai!"

Luffy kicked the air below him once more, feeling the muscles in his legs tear itself. An even louder boom rocked through the air as he broke the sound barrier, the air pressure tearing at his body as he felt his body being torn apart. His limbs were bleeding and he was pretty sure several of his ribs were broken too. The edges of his vision began to darken as he felt the air forced out of his lungs, he could also feel the bruises that were starting to form around his body.

Luffy had a second to find it amusing that he was doing more damage to himself than Crocodile did to him during their fight.

He only had just began to throw the bomb before it detonated right above him, sending him spiralling back down to the ground.

"LUFFY!" both Marine Captains screamed.

By now everyone within several hundred kilometers had heard the explosion as the city of Alubarna was lighted up with a blinding flash of light.

A distance away from the palace, a group of people on Super Spot Billed Ducks glanced up at the sky in shock.

Cobra gaped at the sky, "Don't… Don't tell me that was supposed to go off... in the middle of the city…"

"Crocodile…" Vivi bit down on his name with anger plain in her voice.

Sanji squinted his eyes, "Wait… is that someone falling from the sky?"

Everyone finally noticed the small dot that was currently tumbling down towards the ground in their direction.

Usopp adjusted his goggles' magnification and focused it on the figure, gasping when he finally realized who it was.

"It's Luffy!"

"WHAT?!" Every member of the Straw Hat Marines exclaimed.

Chopper gaped at his falling Commodore, "How did he manage to get so high up? Can he fly?"

"Why isn't he stopping himself from falling?" Zoro frowned.

Sanji widened his eyes in realization, "It can't be… He can't stop himself?"

"What do we do?! Pell and Chaka are still negotiating with the former rebels!" Vivi cried out.

All the while, Luffy continued his descent towards the ground with no sign of slowing down.

Nami gritted her teeth, "We need to save him!"

Each of the Strawhats looked at each other and nodded once, knowing what must be done.

"Dartbrow! I need a lift! Chopper, we're counting on you! Your Majesty! Please continue on without us!" Zoro yelled out while dismounting, already in the process of unsheathing his swords.

"You have my utmost gratitude Marines!" Cobra shouted back, spurring his Super Spot Billed Duck onwards.

Sanji glared at him, "You better be grateful for this you bastard!"

"Leave it to me!" Chopper tapped his chest enthusiastically.

Nami assembled her two remaining staffs, "Usopp! With your Flame Star I can create a small updraft! It should at least give them a bit of height!"

"I got it!" Usopp whipped out his slingshot with a flourish.

Chopper stepped gingerly onto Zoro's blades while Zoro got into position in front of Sanji. Nami had her bubbles surrounding her with Usopp backing her up with his slingshot loaded and ready.

"Let's do this!" All the Straw Hats yelled out simultaneously.

Zoro ran towards Sanji who had his legs outstretched, jumping onto his leg.

"You better make it!" Sanji yelled, kicking his leg up with an explosive force towards the sky.

"Usopp! Now!" Nami swung her staff in an arc, directing all the bubbles into the air.

Usopp released the shot on his slingshot at the same time, sending a great ball of fire into the air and popping the air bubbles Nami created. The air rapidly heated up and a rather forceful gale was created, further boosting Zoro higher up into the air.

"It's all you now, Chopper!" Zoro yelled.

"I got it! Rumble!" Chopper quickly swallowed his rumble ball as he felt Zoro's speed decrease.

"Jumping Point!"

"Go!"

Zoro gritted his teeth as he slashed up his swords with all his might feeling his body protesting against it, all his wounds from his battle with Mr. 1 bursting open dangerously.

Chopper jumped up with all his might at the same time, determined not to let his fellow nakama's efforts go to waste in saving their Commodore, catapulting himself straight towards the still falling Luffy.

Within seconds, Chopper caught the unconscious Marine in his arms, his medical eye already examining the wounds that were present all over his body.

"Three… Five… Seven broken ribs, lacerations, mild concussion… Breathing is strained... "

Chopper frowned slightly, there seemed to be even more internal injuries judging from the bruises all over his body but he didn't have the luxury of diagnosing him now.

"Guard Point!"

Chopper transformed himself again, his fur expanding outwards and enveloping Luffy as they began their descent back towards the ground.

Before they fell too far, a huge mass of bubbles appeared from underneath them, enveloping Chopper and slowing his descent.

"Success!" Nami fist-pumped the air proudly.

"Well, now we have one less problem to worry about, no thanks to this guy," Sanji nudged the Marine swordsman that had collapsed into a heap on the floor ever since he came back down, not particularly caring that he was already bleeding badly.

"Shut up… I just need to sleep," Zoro groaned, shoving Sanji's foot away.

"Chopper's not going to be happy," Usopp commented from the side.

"Whatever," Zoro rolled his eyes.

The four Straw Hats watched as the bubbles and Chopper descended gracefully on to the ground with a soft 'plop', depositing the reindeer safely on the ground.

Chopper changed out of his Guard Point and gently laid Luffy down on the ground.

Everyone grimaced as they saw the condition their Commodore was in. Both his arms were obviously broken while nasty cuts and bruises adorned almost every visible part of his body. It was definitely a sight they were not used to seeing from their Commodore.

Nami had both her hands covering her mouth in shock, "Did Crocodile do this to him?"

"If i get my hands on him…" Zoro cursed softly, barely standing on his own two legs while Sanji supported him by his side.

"Chopper, how is he?" Sanji frowned.

"He… He'll be fine right?" Usopp tried to stop his voice from shaking.

Chopper was already fussing over their Commodore, doing his best to stop the bleeding and patching him up as best as he could from what little equipment he had.

"We need to get him back to the palace, most of my equipment are there… There's only so much I can do here…"

The crew carefully mounted the Super Spot Billed Ducks again, securing Luffy to Chopper's Duck before speeding their way back to the city, joining up with a flustered Smoker and an even more flustered Hina on the way.

Over the next few days, the country came to learn about Crocodile's treachery and the existence of his criminal organization. It was no exaggeration to say that the whole country rejoiced when the civil war was finally put to an end and their faith in their king was not for naught.

The rebels were officially declared to be innocent and under no circumstances were any of them who were not part of Baroque Works to be treated like a criminal. Knowing that the whole war was a mistake from the start, they happily threw down their arms and gathered their tools to rebuild the country once more alongside the people.

The king himself came forward to announce the heroic actions from the Marines that have aided them and had declared them the heroes of the country, with promises of celebration and awards when Luffy recovers.

Hina had taken upon herself to round up the rest of Baroque Works with Smoker's rather unwilling help, effectively dissolving the entire organization. Crocodile himself was placed under arrest and shipped off to the nearest Marine base in cuffs. Though a few members of the officer agents managed to escape before the hunt was mounted, they decided they were not worth the effort since they already got their leader.

For the Commodore himself, he was only unconscious for a day and a night and was already back to his usual cheerful self and running around the next morning despite Chopper's protests.

"Luffy! I'm telling you! You still need to rest!"

"Eh? But I'm already fine now, Chopper! Shishishi!"

The other Straw Hat Marines watched in disbelief as their reindeer doctor chased the straw hat wearing Commodore around the room.

Cobra had insisted that the heroes recuperate within the rooms he had personally granted them, making sure all their needs were met.

"He's awfully full of energy for some reason," Usopp tilted his head in wonder.

"And you never would've guessed how serious his injuries were the other day…" Nami nodded.

At that moment, Vivi walked into the room with a pile of clean sheets in her arms with Carue in a similar state following closely behind.

"Good morning guys, it's nice to see that everyone is up again," Vivi smiled brightly.

"Vivi-chwaaan! You're all I need to make me better!" Sanji pirouetted towards her.

Before Sanji could get within a feet of her, Luffy jumped on him, smashing him into the ground before rolling away to avoid Chopper.

"Sorry Sanji! Shishishi!"

"Luffy! Someone please stop him before he hurts himself again!"

"Gosh Chopper, I really don't think our Commodore can get hurt that easily…" Nami sighed, walking over to help Vivi with the sheets.

"Thanks Nami. It's great that he's fine now, I remember how worried everyone was when you guys brought him back in that state."

Nami huffed, "Most of the time we wonder if he's actually human."

The two girls laid down the sheets by the side, piling them up neatly for Chopper to use for changing bandages.

Vivi watched as Luffy continued jumping around the room, laughing as he did so. This time Usopp had joined Chopper in chasing him, although it was more of a game to the sniper than anything else.

She couldn't help but smile at the scene, "My father has arranged the celebration to be held tonight seeing how the main star has recovered."

"About time too, how are the people holding up?" Nami blatantly ignored what was going on behind her.

"Everything's fine, the people are just happy that the war is finally over and everyone can finally return to their homes. Though there's still remnants of Baroque Works, miss Hina is working really hard taking care of them. Besides, it rained for the first time in a long while just yesterday."

"I see, that's good to hear. You managed to save this country, Vivi."

Vivi punched Nami's shoulder playfully, "Please, you guys are the ones who saved this country. I couldn't have done it by myself."

Before Nami could respond, Luffy came bounding over with Chopper biting his shoulder in frustration at his stubbornness.

"Vivi! I heard we're having a party! Where is it?"

"Good morning Luffy, I'm glad to see you've recovered. Miss Hina wanted me to tell you that she already handled Crocodile so you don't have to worry about it." Vivi smiled at him.

"Shishishi! Thanks Vivi! But more importantly, where's the party?"

Nami smacked him on the head, "Can't you think about anything other than food? This place just barely avoided a full blown civil war here!"

"Nami! Don't hit him! He hasn't fully recovered!" Chopper protested before turning to the swordsman that was leaning against the wall. "Zoro! You took off your bandages again didn't you?! How many times did I tell you not to do that already!"

The door opened again to reveal a bandaged Igaram pushing a tray piled high with fruits. Beside him were Mr. 9 and Miss Monday.

"Ah, it's great to see the heroes all up and well, I hope everything here is to your liking?"

"Oh! Curly hair guy! You made it back!" Luffy waved at him enthusiastically.

"What? When did they?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"They came back here yesterday. Around the same time when we were headed back to Alubarna, they landed on Nanohana." Vivi explained.

Mr. 9 immediately knelt down on the ground in front of Vivi, "To not know that I've been beside genuine royalty and still continuously claim myself to be one… Please forgive this one's insolence!"

Miss Monday knelt down as well, "To be unaware of the harm that our actions have been doing to our friend, I'll accept any form of punishment!"

Vivi gasped and immediately pulled them up, "Please guys, it's not really a big deal! Everything is fine now and you don't need to treat me any differently than before! We're still friends!"

"To hear such compassionate words… Such is the difference between true royalty and one that pretends to be one!" Mr. 9 began wailing comically.

Miss Monday grasped Vivi's hands in gratitude, "Truly, thank you. If i have to serve you my whole life to repay back the wrongs I've done, so be it!"

Vivi was at a loss of words after witnessing their actions, fortunately Igaram came to her rescue.

Pulling the two former agents back on their feet before pushing them out through the door with him, "Don't worry princess, they'll help me with the preparations for tonight. In the meantime, why don't all of you enjoy these fruits first?"

"Don't mind if we do," Sanji grinned, already appraising one of the fruits.

"I want meeeeeat…" Luffy groaned, poking at the pile of fruits in front of him.

Cobra stood at the head of the dining table, a goblet of wine raised in his hands. Princess Vivi took the seat on his left while the heroes sat flanking both sides of the table after her. Hina and Smoker sat themselves on both sides of Luffy, while the rest of the Straw Hat Marines occupied the seats after them.

Various tables were also spread out in the room with many important figures attending the celebration seated.

On the tables, huge varieties of delicacies was spread out that was made with the utmost care of the various royal cooks alongside Igaram's wife Terracotta, enough to make anyone's mouth water at the sight of it.

Everyone there was dressed their best, all the men had donned their best suits and those who didn't have one found theirs from the Royal Tailor who had made sure the heroes looked the part that night. Even Chopper had one made for him though both Usopp and Chopper constantly whined about how unnecessary it was until Nami yelled at them.

Nami herself was wrapped in a black silk dress that reached all the way to her ankles and revealed much of her cleavage, easily sending Sanji into a seizure after he saw her.

"With this toast to our heroes, we thank them once more for saving this country in our greatest time of need!"

Everyone present in the room raised their glasses to the toast and gave a yell of agreement.

"As the king, I give you Marines my utmost gratitude. To show a small part of our thanks, we hold this banquet in your honour!"

Cobra raised his goblet again as everyone cheered for the Marines, signalling the start of the banquet.

It was rather surprising for the Straw Hats to find their Commodore completely transformed into a different person the moment he put on his suit. He acted with more grace and even acted rather gentlemanly. He even refrained from eating the food until the toast was over.

When pressed for an explanation, he only made vague mumbles about "attending a ball" and "acting the part".

However, all that went out the window the moment he laid his hands on the food. His previous "gentlemanly" figure dissipated like a mirage as he gulped down the food in front of him, quickly emptying the plates of food that were laid out before him.

"So that's where our Commodore went, I was suspecting that he may have gotten switched with that okama." Zoro grinned before proceeding to drink the wine from the bottle.

"Ah… and here i thought I was going to have a quiet dinner for once," Nami sighed with a slight smile on her lips, idly poking her food with a fork.

"Luffy! Stop stealing my food! Go get your own!" Usopp yelled out indignantly, waving his fist menacingly in the air as Luffy continued to stuff his mouth with food.

"Hey, may I know the recipe for this dish?" Sanji asked one of the waiters scurrying around.

"Luffy! I already told you to not eat too much! You're still recovering!" Chopper shouted.

"Heh, at least it's not as bad as the Officer's Ball we were forced to go," Smoker smirked in amusement.

"Hina is satisfied," Hina laughed.

Everyone else in the room could only gape in shock at how the atmosphere of the room changed so suddenly. Seeing the well dressed Marines acting rowdy around the table while tossing things around the place completely destroyed the dignified appearance they had in the beginning.

Their shock soon gave way to smiles and laughter as Luffy, Chopper and Usopp began their usual dance on the table. Everyone was laughing their heart out and the previous serious atmosphere had all but dissipated like the sand that had once threatened the country.

Had someone else looked at this sight, they would never be able to tell that a terrible crisis was barely avoided just a few days ago as everyone threw caution to the winds and partied hard that night.

It was only until the deep hours of the night that the last person finally stumbled out of the room, the cleaning up could be done another day.

Luffy himself stood on one of the balconies of the palace overlooking the city, enjoying the cool midnight breeze alone.

"So i take it you have made up your mind?" Luffy grinned, turning around to see a cloaked Robin standing by the doorway.

"Mr. Commodore," Robin nodded towards him, showing neither hostility nor friendship. "Before I answer you, are you aware of the reason why Crocodile kept me here?"

Luffy shrugged, "I looked at the files… The poneglyph was it? I've seen one before but I have no idea what it's for."

"Of course you wouldn't," Robin sighed. "If you knew, you wouldn't so readily serve the World Government as you are now."

Luffy only tilted his head at her.

Robin shook her head, "It doesn't matter anyway. You want my answer? I'll give it to you on one condition, lead me to this country's poneglyph."

Luffy frowned, "That… Even I wouldn't know the location of that…"

"The king knows, I'm sure using your status as the… 'hero' of this country, he might just lead you to it." robin smiled mischievously.

"If that's the case," Luffy nodded once, already leading the way towards Cobra's room.

Without knocking, Luffy threw open the door just as Cobra was slipping into his sleep wear.

"Oh? Good evening Mr. Luffy, I hope the feast was to your liking."

"Shishishi, yes it was! The food was so good!" Luffy grinned, smacking his belly contentedly.

"Oh? And who might this be? I don't believe I've seen you before?" Cobra noticed the cloaked woman standing behind him.

"Good evening your majesty, I am Nico Robin, also the partner of Crocodile before his recent dismissal from the organization," Robin stepped forward, throwing back her hood.

Cobra glanced at Luffy who was busy picking the dirt out of his ear.

"I assume you came here for another reason other than revenge?"

"Yes, of course, I couldn't care less about him, I only partnered with him for the one thing that's hidden in your country… Where is the poneglyph?"

Cobra frowned at the mention of the name, "You… How did you know?"

Robin shrugged her shoulders, "It was our original goal from the start, though what our intentions to do with it differ. Crocodile wanted to use it, I wanted to read it."

"You can read the poneglyphs?" Cobra gasped slightly.

"Indeed, that's why Crocodile needed me after all." Robin smirked lightly.

"I see… But even so, I'm sorry, I can't just show you something that my family has been entrusted to protect all these years so easily."

"Well, you heard him, Mr. Commodore, looks like we both won't be getting what we came here for," Robin turned towards Luffy, shrugging her shoulders in mock defeat.

"Sorry snake guy, can we see the pone-what's-it pretty please?" Luffy grinned.

Cobra raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry Mr. Luffy… Even if it's you… This isn't the kind of thing can just be shown freely to anyone that asks…"

"Oh come on, it's not like anything's going to happen to it, right? After all, none of us here have any use of it anyway."

"But even so, there's a reason why we have to keep it away from others. The object itself coul-"

"Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please?" Luffy began grasping at Cobra's hands and shaking it up and down in a pleading manner.

Robin stifled a smile as she saw the Commodore acting like a spoilt child asking for a toy.

"Er… Mr. Luffy, calm down please, you have to understand I-"

"Don't wanna… Pleeeaaase…"

"It doesn't seem like he would take no for an answer, your majesty," Robin giggled slightly, still amused by Luffy's behavior.

Cobra sighed, "I guess… Alright, I'll take you two there… But please, this has to remain a secret…"

"Alright!" Luffy finally released Cobra.

Under the cover of the night, Cobra lead them out of the palace to the Royal Crypt through a secret passage, reaching outside its walls without anyone even aware of their disappearance. He led them down the secret staircase, through the corridors and finally to the room that housed the poneglyph.

Luffy frowned at the thing with distaste, he distinctly remembered how he was tasked to uncover one in his CP9 days. Unfortunately, it was guarded by a group of cultists who did not take kindly to any strangers. In the end, Luffy manage to complete his mission but the trail that led him to the poneglyph was littered with corpses.

"This is it…" Robin stepped up to the poneglyph silently while Luffy and Cobra hung back, watching her.

A few tense minutes passed before Robin sighed dejectedly, hanging her head limply.

"Four years of my life wasted away…" She turned towards Cobra, hopelessness clear in her eyes. "Is this the only thing here?"

Cobra affirmed with a nod.

"I see… Again another fruitless search…" Robin sighed again.

"Isn't this what you're looking for?" Luffy tilted his head at her.

Robin shook her head, "Tell me, Mr. Commodore… How much do you know about the Void Century?"

Luffy shrugged, "Never heard about it."

"Of course not, your Government outlawed the study of it…" Robin nodded to herself.

"And that's why they put a bounty on you isn't it? Because you can read these poneglyphs?" Luffy raised any eyebrow.

"You can say that… I've spent all my life looking for the Rio Poneglyph… The one thing that tells of the true history of this world, the one thing that your World Government has been intent on hiding."

Robin sighed again as tears welled up in her eyes, "All I ever wanted to know was history… And for that I had to be hunted like an animal for the last twenty years… All this fruitless searching until now, all this work… Meaningless… I'm tired of this already."

Robin swiped a knife from under her cloak, plunging the sharp blade to her neck. Her tears fell on to the floor as strength left her body, collapsing on to the floor in a heap.

"Why… Why won't you let me die?!" Robin screamed at Luffy who stood beside her, the blade of the knife in his hands, broken off at the handle.

"I'm tired of this! All the running, the scheming and all this work just to end up disappointed again and again! I have no desire to live anymore!" Robin glared at him with hatred in her eyes.

"You could join me."

"Impossible! If only things were that convenient! The moment I join you would be handing myself up to the World Government on a silver platter! How can I ever be safe among the ranks of the people who hunt me?!"

Luffy shrugged, "At least I can try, it's a better alternative to just giving up, no?"

Robin clenched her fists, clutching at the hems of her cloak, "So you can't guarantee me that it will work either… So why should I even consider your choice?"

"Well, seeing as how you already given up, why not we try out my way first? If I fail to do so, you can do whatever you want after that?" Luffy suggested.

Robin glared at the Commodore who only grinned back at her.

She let out a sigh before standing up, "I'll think about it… I'll let you know when I've decided…"

Without so much as a backward glance, she left the room, the clacking of her heels echoing through the chambers.

Cobra stared down the passageway that Robin disappeared into, "Mr. Luffy, if you don't mind me asking, why is a Marine like you trying so hard to save a criminal like her?"

"Because she isn't a criminal, and I want to protect everything that I can no matter what!" Luffy grinned.

Cobra couldn't help but smile at his proclamation, "I see, that's very admirable of you. If only more people share the same sentiment too..."

The next morning, a Marine convoy entered the palace led by Vice Admiral Momonga.

In the throne room of the palace, the Straw Hat Marines as well as Hina and Smoker were assembled before the king.

"As the king of Alabasta, I once again thank you for aiding us in our time of greatest need. I hereby confer all of you the title 'Heroes of Alabasta' and welcome all of you as members of the Royal Household. In addition, I wish to award each of you with the Desert Heart medal, the highest medal of honour in our country. Please step forward Commodore Luffy."

The gathered officials and Marine officers applauded as Luffy gingerly stepped forward with a grin plastered on his face.

Each of his crew were dressed in their own Marine attire this time, standing at rapt attention for the awards ceremony.

Luffy bowed to the king smartly in standaard Alabasta style, all of them having a crash course on Alabasta etiquette in the morning.

"Commodore Luffy, I thank you on behalf of this country."

Cobra took out a medal that an attendant held out on a golden tray, pinning it on Luffy's chest.

Luffy bowed again, rejoining the ranks among his crew mates.

The rest of the Straw Hats could only envy Luffy completing the whole process smoothly while each of them felt uncomfortable from the stares of everyone.

Usopp almost tripped on his way to the king but managed to save himself at the last second.

Sanji didn't move when his name was called and Zoro had to kick him before he finally moved from the rank.

Zoro almost forgot to bow to the king which resulted in an awkward silence for the first couple of seconds when he reached the king.

They had a step ladder brought out for Chopper who awkwardly climbed it to reach the king, almost falling off of it when he had to come down.

As nervous as she was, Nami was the only one who managed to make it back without any incident occurring.

Both Smoker and Hina also managed to receive their commendation without accident.

When the Straw Hats sighed in relief expecting the ceremony to be over, Momonga stepped forward this time.

Momonga bowed low to Cobra, "As a representative of Marine Headquarters, allow me to express my sincerest apologies for allowing the pirate Crocodile to hurt your country, your majesty."

He turned on his heel to face the Straw Hats, "Likewise, Headquarters would like to award these fellow brave Marines who stood up in this country's time of need and served justice to the criminals. It has been passed that all of you shall be promoted and awarded the 'Valiant Justice' medal. Commodore Luffy, to the front."

Luffy marched forward with the same grin on his face, saluting the Vice Admiral smartly.

"For your prowess and brilliant leadership, you are to be conferred the rank of Rear Admiral. Congratulations."

Momonga pinned the medal and new rank insignia on Luffy's jacket. Luffy saluted again before returning back to the file.

"Captain Smoker."

Smoker stepped forward with an air of boredom, ignoring Hina's glare that was piercing through his back.

"For your continued dedication in serving Justice, you shall be promoted to Commodore."

Smoker tried his best not to roll his eyes as he received his new rank and medal before returning to the file.

"Captain Hina."

Hina stepped forward quickly with the grace of someone having practised a million times, saluting the Vice Admiral smartly.

"For your dedication to the service and expertise, you are granted the rank of Commodore."

Hina received her rank and award with practised grace, falling back in line without a single mistake

"Commander Usopp."

Usopp stepped forward, determined not to make a mistake this time.

"For your admirable bravery, you are to be conferred the rank of Captain."

He presented a neatly folded Marine cloak that Usopp received with a slight tear in his eye. He saluted smartly and returned to the file with renewed determination.

"Commander Sanji, for your impressive culinary arts, you shall be named Captain."

Sanji saluted, ignoring the smirk he got from Zoro when he returned to the file.

"Commander Zoro, for your decisiveness on the battlefield, you are promoted to Captain."

Zoro grinned as he received his cloak and rank from Momonga, giving Luffy a slight nod when he rejoined his crew.

"Commander Nami, for your exceptional battle techniques, you are to be promoted to Captain."

Nami refrained from asking about any possible additional remuneration and monetary benefits from the promotion.

"Mr. Chopper."

Chopper did not forget that he was still not officially part of the Marines, only joining in on their mission part way through. He gulped nervously as he stepped on to the ladder prepared for him, reaching the Vice Admiral's chest level. Though he could have chosen to transform into his human form, everyone had agreed that it would look much better for him to remain in this form.

"Mr. Chopper, we have accepted your admission to the Marines under Rear Admiral Luffy's recommendation. We have also chosen to comply with his additional request of granting you the rank of Captain with Rear Admiral Luffy as your mentor with the condition of you remaining in the 'Straw Hat' unit. Only when he deems you suitable will your station be permanent. If you choose to be posted to another unit however, you would have to start as a recruit, do you accept these terms?"

Chopper sniffled as he thought about the lengths Luffy had to go to acquire these special treatment for him, he could only stare at Momonga with resolute determination and nodded in agreement.

"Then I welcome you as a Marine, Captain Chopper." Momonga passed the cloak and rank to Chopper, saluting him.

Chopper tried his best not to make a mess of the place with the tears constantly dripping down his face.

Momonga waited until everyone settled down again, clearing his throat for his final address, "I thank you Marines once again for dealing with these criminals in the name of Justice. Please continue with your hard work!"

With a final salute, the awards ceremony officially came to an end.

"A Marine Captain, never in my life… I look pretty awesome right, Chopper?" Usopp admired himself in front of the mirror, already having donned on his cloak the moment they returned to their rooms.

"Everyone looks awesome!" Chopper spun around happily, sparkles in his eyes.

"Nami swaaaan, the cloak looks perfect on you!" Sanji complimented, hearts spewing out from all over him.

"Thank you, Sanji," Nami replied offhandedly, her focus on the medal she held in front of her, wondering if it was worth anything monetary in value.

Zoro snorted, "As for you, it looks terrible on you, you might as well use some dirty tablecloth as your cloak instead."

"What did you say, you stupid marimo?!"

"You heard me, perverted dartbrow!"

"Luffy kuuun~~Hina's going to miss you~~" Hina pulled Luffy into a bear hug, ruffling his hair as she did so while ignoring whatever else was going on in the room.

"Be careful escorting the rest of the criminals, Hina! Don't work yourself too hard," Luffy grinned.

"Rear Admiral Luffy," Smoker mock saluted him with a smirk. "I've received my new assignment from Headquarters so I'll be heading out as well."

"Shishishi! I'll see you around then, Smokey!" Luffy grinned, finally released from Hina's embrace.

Smoker grunted, already turning to leave, "Hmph, knowing you, you'll get into some other sort of trouble soon enough."

"I'll see you, Luffy, try not to go overboard this time, yes?" Hina ruffled his hair one last time.

Luffy waved happily as both Hina and Smoker left the room.

Luffy sighed contentedly as he turned back to regard his crew, having determined something, he coughed to get his crew's attention.

"Congratulations on your promotion guys, you're all Marine officers now. If any of you wish to, I can reassign any of you to other units as a commander of that unit, though you might have to go through a Marine Officer course first. I have no doubt in any of your abilities and I will do my best to ensure the unit you are assigned to would be the best place I can-"

"You can stop right there, Luffy," Zoro raised a hand, interrupting him. "If you think any of us will choose to abandon you after we have come this far and let this little promotion get over our heads, then you are sorely mistaken."

Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "we all chose to follow you on our own accord with our own agendas. I didn't choose to become a Marine just because of some noble sentiment like serving Justice. I came along to fulfill my ambition of being the strongest Swordsman."

Zoro stepped closer to Luffy until he was only a few steps away from the Rear Admiral, "You think I can achieve that ambition of mine while rotting away in some desolate Marine base doing nothing but paperwork? Besides, do you actually think I'll take orders from anyone else?"

Luffy shook his head dumbly.

Zoro crossed his arms with finality, "Everyone feels the same way here, Luffy. We're staying here whether you like it or not."

Luffy looked at each of his other crew members in the eyes.

Usopp thumped his chest proudly, "I set out to become a brave warrior of the sea, there's no way I'm going to be one if I'm not with you guys. More importantly, I wouldn't be able to go to Elbaf with you in the future!"

Sanji grinned, "I hardly think All Blue exists in an office on some Marine Base. You gave me the promise to let me sail with you to find it, I intend to let you keep that promise of yours, Luffy."

Chopper jumped up and down frantically while waving his arms, "Me… Me too! If it wasn't for Luffy, I wouldn't have set foot off Drum island! It might seem like I was forced to stay, but I want to have more adventures with everyone!"

Nami shrugged, "I still owe you for saving my home town... and it's definitely much more fun to stay with you guys. And besides…"

Nami stuck her tongue out while pinching her right index finger and thumb together, "I earn way more money by staying with you guys too!"

Zoro rolled his eyes, "It's always about the money huh, you witch."

"Don't call Nami a witch you brute!" Sanji shook his fist at Zoro.

"You're no different you damn ero-cook!"

"I'm glad to see everyone in high spirits," Vivi smiled, walking into the room.

Sanji immediately pirouetted towards her, "Vivi chwaaaaan~~"

"Vivi!" Nami rushed up and hugged her, pushing Sanji away in the process.

"I saw Commodore Hina and Smoker leaving just now, are you guys going off soon?" Vivi hugged Nami back.

Everyone looked at the Rear Admiral who only gave a small shrug, "We have our orders, we'll be leaving early morning tomorrow."

"I see, it's going to be rather lonely here without you guys," Vivi smiled sadly.

"You can always come with us," Zoro suggested.

Sanji immediately leapt up on his feet, smacking Zoro across the head, "She's a princess! How can you even suggest her to be a Marine?!"

"It's ok, Sanji, I had thoughts about joining you guys too. But I still have my duties as the princess here so I'm unfortunately unable to do that." Vivi finally released Nami, smiling at her friend.

"It's ok, Vivi! We'll come back to see you! We definitely will!" Nami grinned.

"Yeah! We'll come back with many more amazing stories to tell you!" Usopp cheered.

"We haven't seen the rest of the country yet too," Zoro grinned.

"I want to see this place in a time of peace too," Sanji smiled.

"We'll come back and play!" Chopper cheered.

"And we'll have another feast to celebrate! And we'll have lots of meat!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air.

"CAN'T YOU THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE BUT FOOD?!" His crew yelled at him.

Vivi giggled at the scene, "I really am going to miss you guys…"

A favorable wind blew behind Merry as it sped along the coastline, pulling away from the harbor of Nanohana where thousands of people gathered to see their heroes off. The country was already well on its way to recovery with everyone working together to bring the country back on its feet, it wouldn't be surprising if traces of the war were to be erased in just a few more weeks time.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Marines are staging their own mini celebration on their promotion on the deck of their ship. Everyone was in a good mood, there was plenty of food and drink, the sea was calm and the wind was good.

Only Luffy stood on the deck of the ship, leaning on the railing while watching as the shore grew more distant by the minute.

"What's wrong, Mr. Rear Admiral?" Nami nudged Luffy playfully, leaning on the rail beside him with a drink in her hand.

"Nothing," Luffy sighed uncharacteristically. "There were some people I had hoped I could save… But in the end they chose not to be saved…"

Nami could only raise an eyebrow quizzically at him, not understanding him. "Who are you talking about? Crocodile?"

Luffy chuckled, "No, not him… someone else…"

"Who is it then?"

"Perhaps that person might be me, Mr. Commodore? Oh, I mean, Mr. Rear Admiral?" The door to the female quarters opened suddenly, revealing a smirking Robin.

"You!" Zoro immediately tossed the mug he held at her, buying time for himself to draw out his three swords.

"How impolite," Robin sighed, catching the mug with a hand. "I assume this is some sort of Marine welcoming tradition? How quaint."

Nami had assembled her newly repaired Clima-tact, pointing it menacingly at Robin.

Usopp had leapt back from her, drawing his slingshot and loading a bullet in within a breath.

Chopper had transformed into his human form, though he was looking back and forth between the crew and Robin, still unsure of who she was.

Sanji, on the other hand, was busy pirouetting about screaming his lungs out about seeing a beautiful girl.

Robin barely batted an eyelid from their hostile reactions.

"Here for revenge huh, fine with me!" Zoro lunged forwards, his blade already arcing through the air towards her neck.

Luffy moved quickly, stepping in between the two and blocking the sword with his arm using Tekkai.

"Captain Zoro, stand down." Luffy said simply.

Zoro hesitated for a second before sheathing his swords. Throwing one last glare at Robin before stepping back from them.

Seeing his crew lower their weapons, he turned and regarded the still smirking Robin.

Robin's smirk grew wider when she saw the slight discomfort in Luffy's features, "How nice of you, Mr. Rear Admiral, to give me such a wonderful welcome on your ship."

"Why are you here?" Nami demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

Robin glanced at the Navigator from the corner of her eye, "Well, to offer an answer to my dear Rear Admiral of course. He was so rough with his proposition I had no choice but to give in to his demands."

Sanji let out a screech as he grabbed Luffy by his shoulders, shaking him, "LUFFY! What have you done to this beautiful woman?! You better answer or I'll never forgive you!"

Luffy raised an eyebrow at Sanji's actions, "What do you mean? I didn't do anything to her? I only asked her some things and wanted an answer."

"Ah yes, the questions he asked, such daring ones I would say. Demanding that I entrust my entire being to his care, how can I not give a proper reply?" Robin laughed.

Everyone gasped collectively, alternating their glances between Robin and Luffy.

Luffy perked up when he heard what she said, "Oh? So you agree to it then?"

"Of course, I am in your care now, Mr. Rear Admiral." Robin smiled devilishly as she gave a mock bow.

Sanji wailed as he collapsed on the floor, lamenting on how the world was unfair and that he would never find love in his life.

Usopp was grinning like a madman as he tried his best hold back his laughter, finding the whole situation unbearably hilarious.

Zoro still had his hand on the hilt of his blade, watching every one of Robin's movement for the barest hint of hostile intent.

Chopper continued to glance at everyone, still unsure of what was going on.

Only Nami rolled her eyes at her words, "Enough of this, Luffy, tell us what's really going on here."

Luffy straightened before assuming a serious pose in front of Robin, though the latter was still smirking uncontrollably.

"Miss All-Sunday, real name Miss Nico Robin, wanted for seventy-nine million berries for the sinking of six Marine battleships."

"Sinking… Six battleships?" Usopp gasped, his earlier grin disintegrating.

"Seventy-nine million?" Nami's eyes became berry signs.

"That's me," Robin shrugged, not caring about the crew's reactions.

Luffy frowned, "I've looked through the records, the sinking of battleships was a falsified report someone came up with. The number of battleships sent to hunt you tallied with the number of ships that reported back. Someone had intentionally removed these reports and filed in a claim that the ships were sunk instead."

Robin just smiled at the Rear Admiral, not confirming nor denying his words.

"As of right now, I am placing you under my protection on the possibility of a false charge which led to your current bounty. I will do everything in my power to find out the truth behind this incident and root out the ones responsible for it."

"Why, that's very kind of you, Mr. Rear Admiral, I shall leave myself to you and your wonderful crew's protection then," Robin grinned, turning around to return to the female quarters.

The crew watched Robin close the door behind her before turning their collective gaze back to Luffy.

"Luffy… Are you serious about this?" Nami pointed a finger towards the door.

"Yeah, I mean, she was part of the organisation that tried to take over Vivi's country!" Usopp protested.

Luffy crossed his arms, "I'm sure, the numbers don't lie. I had Grandpa double check on it too to be safe too. Though the reports were mostly destroyed, I managed to recover on a single ship's report that it had returned to base without casualties alongside its brethren."

"Why would someone want to frame her though? And this doesn't seem like a small operation either." Nami frowned.

"Secrets huh? There's something she knows that someone else doesn't want her to spread around," Zoro grinned, already guessing the reason behind it.

Luffy nodded, "Though I can't tell you guys what exactly it is now, but there's some things she knows about that some people in the World Government aren't happy about. If I can find evidence on the fact that she never sunk these ships, they can't continue naming her as a criminal."

"Such a sad story for one so beautiful! I shall do my utmost best to protect Robin-chwaan!" Sanji started spinning around the deck.

"I'll… I'll do my best to protect her too!" Chopper raised his hand enthusiastically.

"Well… If you say so, Luffy," Usopp shrugged.

Nami sighed lightly, "Well, it's your orders, Rear Admiral."

"If she tries anything though, I won't hold back on her either," Zoro tapped his sword handle meaningfully.

Behind the door, Robin tapped the small knife she had kept hidden within her sleeve with a finger, frowning to herself as she dematerialized the ear she had placed on Luffy's shoulder.

"I'll play along for now, Mr. Rear Admiral…"

Pushing herself away from the door, she descended deeper into her temporary quarters.

Deep within the night, Luffy replaced Usopp as the night watch, bidding him goodnight as he sat on the crow's nest, his cloak fluttering in the wind around his shoulders.

Upon hearing the soft click of a door closing below him, he fished out the den den mushi he kept underneath his cloak, having received a new one from Momonga.

"Aokiji, it's Luffy, I have Nico Robin on board."

There was a slight pause before an icy voice came from the other side.

"Good work."

______________________________________________

And cut. so that is it for this chapter hope you guys enjoyed and see you in the next chapter.bye

chapter 23:Crossing The Line