"Thankfully, we were able to get all of the gold split up and made into ingots." Usopp mentioned as he watched Zoro and Chopper loading the smaller blocks of gold along with some statues and weights into the safe that Nami had. He tried to lift some of the bigger Gold but he ended up delegated to "Overseer of gold transportation" when he accidentally dropped a slab on the floor and broke a hole in it. "We just gotta find a place to store it and we'll be…Golden!" He quipped with a wide smile and an expectant gaze like he was waiting for them to start laughing.
Zoro groaned in disappointment while Chopped gave a few quick laughs since at least they thought it was funny. "Still, looks like we've got just about everything we need from food and supplies to the new recipes and Dials that we're taking back with us." Zoro mentioned as he watched Sanji climb aboard followed by Morgan, Nami and Robin.
Morgan looked like he had been tossing and turning in his sleep since he looked exhausted and drained of energy, "We uh…We good to go?" He asked as he headed up to go sit on Merry's head.
"The better question is are YOU good?! All you did was rest and somehow you look more exhausted than before." Chopper asked as they rushed over to examine Morgan for any injuries or symptoms of sickness before taking him to the Doctor's room.
The others quickly boarded as they figured that while Skypeia was fun, it was time to go back to normal environments….At least as normal as the Grand Line can get. "So…Care to explain?" Zoro asked Nami as Usopp and Sanji went below deck to make sure the gold was put away.
"Come on, Zoro…There's no need to be so nosey." Nami waved him off as she headed up top to gauge the trip back.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Swordsman….I think he just needs a drink and a chance to sleep." Robin followed up as she leaned against the railing. "I trust we are ready to go, Miss Navigator?"
"Yep, it's a straight path down to Land End and we can head downward towards the Blue sea again." Nami explained as they raised the anchor and had several of the transport fish guide Merry on track towards the drop point. "I'm surprised that you haven't gone to try your luck with Morgan again~" Nami remarked to tease her as she checked the wind. "It seems like he's mellowed out a little since the fight with Eneru."
"Ah, I was wondering why he wasn't so resentful this morning...Truthfully, I am sort of glad that he is starting to accept me little by little." Robin mentioned quietly; Recently she hadn't been able to explain it properly even to herself but it made her feel down when he was resentful of her so when he was warming up to her, it made her feel….nice.
"Sounds like it's progress for you both…Though it may be a while before he forgives you fully but I think if you could be honest about things with him rather then this "Big Gamble" that you're insistent on, he might actually understand and give you more of a chance." Nami explained as she could see that ever since they got to Skypeia, Robin had been slowly influenced by the others around her which was a long way from the shady woman who teased them with mysteries wrapped in vagueness.
"Honesty…I think I like how that sounds." Robin mentions as she turned to face Nami; "Once we get to the next Island, I'll tell him about what I can do to help…" She remarked to herself as she mused over what her teaching him could open up.
Nami smirked as she decided to take the chance to bring something up that she had been thinking about for a while; "You mean like how you can't stop thinking about him?"
Robin nearly crushed the railing under her fingers with how on the nose that Nami got it but quickly played it off. "He is the Captain, of course I'd be having him in my concerns." Robin said with an even tone as she watched the clouds part.
"Oh, come on Robin~ I've seen the way you look at him when you think no one's watching plus anyone that willing to get their hands on him has to really like him a lot." Nami pointed out; "Besides if you really didn't care that much about him, you would have probably ditched him as a lost cause if he wouldn't use those Powers."
Robin looked to Nami with that same smile as she normally wore; "You certainly put a lot of thought into it, though I think I'll just keep to helping the Captain if and when he needs it." She affirmed to Nami and partially to herself; Though the unconvinced stare from Nami didn't help matters along with the fact that the reason she knew what went down earlier wasn't just because of intuition; In truth she knew fully well thanks to Ojos Fleur watching Morgan to ensure he was okay, "Honestly the things I saw in there...I'm glad that I had a chance to be alone..." She thought as she recalled the sticky fingers she got while watching Morgan getting "Thanked" by Nami, Conis and Raki.
There was a sway back and forth as the Merry reached the edge of the White Sea and let gravity take it's course as the Ship along with the Straw Hat Pirates went crashing down the falls past the clouds and towards the open blue sea below.
"We're not stopping!"
"Merry's going too fast!"
Before anymore worry could arise; An unfurling could be heard as a large octopus wrapped itself around the mast and expanded outwards like a balloon, letting the Merry slow down from a collision course to a gentle floating from the sky all the way to the sea. "See? Here's thinking that we were just going to crash into the open water." Morgan joked as he breathed a sigh of relief since the immediate fear of collapse had passed.
"Well, we still have a severely damaged ship…We may just get to the next island and then crash into the sea before we can get off." Robin mentioned with her rather casual tone like death was the equivalent of a bad hair day.
"C-Can you two not treat this like a joke…Merry's pulled us through hell and back to get us here so I say the first thing we do is get her repaired." Usopp suggested as he saw a group of islands in the distance; "We can stop there and see what can be immediately done."
Nami nodded as she directed Zoro to steer them towards the archipelago known as Long Ring Long Land; "Thank goodness…A somewhat normal place to rest." She exhaled and started to look around.
"Might wanna guess again." Morgan mentioned as he looked up at a horse that was the size of a giraffe; "You said this was Long Ring Long Land…I think I can guess where it gets i-"
"FEEEEHEEHEHEEHEHEHEHEH!" A new voice wheezed out as a ship with a fox shaped figurehead emerged not long after and stopped close to them; "You there! Pirates, I have a challenge for you and I don't think that you have any choice in saying no to me."
"Well, I'm saying no." Morgan refused; "We've got more important things to do than entertain you." He remarked with a snort of derision since he was far from willing to deal with another potential fight while Merry was fragile.
"Too bad…Because I'm gonna challenge you to a Davy Be-"
"I told you no! Now buzz off you split chinned freak of nature!" Morgan snapped at him with a lack of mood to deal with him.
"S-Split…Chin…" The Pirate then collapsed to the floor and was now being comforted by his crew; "H-How dare you make such horrific names about me!"
"I'm warning you, pal…Back off!" Morgan warned as he cracked his knuckles and everyone bar Usopp, Nami and Robin were getting ready for a fight.
"The Oyabin is giving you a chance, play the game! Or you and that fragile ship will fall in the name of the Foxy Pi-" The leading girl yelled out at them with an almost unbridled fury, there was a sudden chill in the air that washed over the breeze followed by a sudden blast of icy cold that enveloped the Foxy Pirates on their side of the island and turned the grassy island into an icy plain.
"What the…" Nami whispered as she saw the weather change in a literal instant; "That can't be normal…Even for the Grand Line."
Standing in front of them with a white coat thrown over his shoulders was a towering man with a sleep mask resting on his forehead and a tired expression; "Honestly, do you pirates just have one volume?" He would ask the group in a bored manner as he looked to them and to the frozen pirates.
The Straw hats watched this new person with a skeptical look on their faces but it appeared that Morgan and Robin both seemed to recognise him to varying degrees. "What's a Marine bigwig doing all the way out here?" Morgan asked with a low hint of suspicion in his voice as he kept his eyes trained on the Marine.
"A-A Marine is that strong?" Usopp shivered as he broke an icicle off of his nose from the cold; "Seems unfair, if you ask me…."
"Not just any Marine, Long Nose…A Marine Admiral…Aokiji…" Robin responded grimly as she felt her body stiffen under his gaze but it wasn't the cold that stopped her from moving at all.
"Nico Robin…And Straw Hat Morgan…It's a surprise and an awfully handy convenience that you both show up here during my naptime." Aokiji mentioned as he dusted himself off; "Honestly, I was hoping to avoid work on my time off but it looks like it follows me everywhere…"
"I'll say it again, Marine Admiral." Morgan growled and rolled his shoulder; "What. do. you. want?" He asked while spitting out forced politeness since this particular Marine wasn't attacking him and the fact that this guy was an Admiral stayed his hand temporarily.
"So rude…And here I was about to offer you a chance to meet everyone again." Aokiji found himself a little off put by Morgan's aggression; "Someone in the higher ranks of the Marines really wants to meet you and I think you know who it is….Not to mention you have a bounty on your head that can't be ignored."
"Who'd want to see Morgan that badly?" Sanji asked with confusion as he lit up a cigarette but the fact that both Robin AND Morgan were on edge seemed to indicate that this wasn't good.
"Like I said, someone really wants to see him back at headquarters…They probably said why but I zoned out." The Admiral mentioned to Sanji before turning to Morgan. "Now I can bring you in alive but I was told that I could dish a few hits on you if you get too rowdy." Aokiji remarked as he lifted a hand up with the palm facing the crew; The white mist from before emanating from it as the air around them grew chillier. "The other thing I came here for is to issue you a warning…About her." He said and then pointed at Robin. "That woman is bad news….Not just for you but for any crew or group that she is a part of, the moment things go bad? She'll turn on you and run. Nico Robin's a bad omen and if you give her the chance…She'll turn on you too…"
"Robin? Look I don't know what you've got to say but if you're planning on getting rough with her or any of us…I'm not backing down from anyone…Not even an Admiral." Morgan then got into a stance as he kept a careful watch with both his eyes and with Haki.
"Captain, Don't! That man is far above what you are capable of, even now!" Robin tried to warn Morgan but Zoro and Sanji rushed past her to join in the fight with kicks raised and swords drawn.
"Santoryu…."
"Concasse!"
The two rose high into the air to attack from above while Morgan rushed under them to attack on multiple fronts; "I can't afford to give him any openings…"
Aokiji sighed as he then waved both hands inward like he was throwing something; "Ice Ball…" He droned out as he rushed forward at an almost blinding speed, turning the airborne duo into two ice sculptures before anyone could even react or change course.
"ZORO! SANJI!" Morgan yelled out as he watched them hit the ground and roared out in anger as his body grew more red; "ASURA NO KEN…." He called out before thrusting two flaming red fists toward Aokiji's chest with the intent to really hurt him; "SORYU HA!" He yelled out and the concussive force sent Aokiji back a couple of metres.
"Jeez…A real hothead and on top of that, you've got Devil Fruit powers? How long have you been hiding these under that neat little straw hat of your's?" Aokiji asked as he watched Morgan glowering at him.
"Long enough to put some hurt on you, Admiral…So take this back to your HQ…I ain't going anywhere with you and I won't let you take anyone here!" Morgan yelled out as the two marks that the Captain landed on him burst with a powerful blast and knocked Aokiji off of his feet.
With a pained grunt, Aokiji sat up as the ice reformed around his chest; "Good thing I took note of your Abilities as a Martial Artist and with Haki from your wanted poster. Honestly, you're shaping up to be quite a monster since that could've hurt a lot more if I didn't have mine…"
"A Devil Fruit…Why am I not surprised an Admiral has one?" Morgan grimaced as he saw Aokiji's body reform itself out of ice.
"The Hie-Hie no Mi….A pretty interesting one; I can take anything around me and freeze it right down to the core." Aokiji explained as he cracked his neck; "Your friends are a good example and pretty solid but if YOU'RE not careful then I might just…" He then raised his leg like he was ready to kick Sanji to pieces.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" Morgan yelled out as he grew his six arms and was about to smash all of them into him but Aokiji was quicker with it as he had his hand in front of Morgan's rage fuelled face.
"Ice Time…." Aokiji mumbled as Morgan followed by everyone except Robin and Chopper quickly became frozen solid. "I try to play things calmly and he wants to pick a fight…Honestly you should be grateful that Akainu didn't come out here for you." He mentioned before slowly walking towards the paralysed Robin.
"W-What do you want…With me?" Robin asked him while trying her hardest not to shake, she could easily understand why Morgan would be a sought after target for the Marines but her's was an infinitely easier answer or harder depending on Aokiji's mindset of Lazy Justice.
"So this is the people that you've saddled up with now? They seem pretty loyal to fight an Admiral like they are for you." Aokiji mentioned as he squat in front of Robin. "The others will thaw out eventually…But tell your Straw Hat Captain that after what happened in Alabasta…This makes us even…So don't do anything I wouldn't." He remarked before grabbing his bicycle and started to ride on the water by creating a wheel wide trail of ice to cross.
It took a couple of hours, careful planning and lots of hot water to undo what had happened to them but the resounding defeat left a pretty poor taste in their mouths and even more so for Morgan and Usopp who lamented their weakness and their uselessness respectively.
"Can we really keep up anymore…I swear I'm gonna go bald and frail before we even get closer to the next island…." Usopp wailed as he felt the weight of the actual problems hit him like a hammer.
"You're not the only one stuck in this problem, Usopp…We're all well aware of what we're dealing with now!" Sanji grumbled; "Morgan knows that better than anyone."
Morgan had taken his spot on Merry's head as he let the result of their fight mull over in his head. "Nami…What's the next island?" He asked with a serious tone in his voice and turned to look at her while she checked the Log Pose.
"Supposedly there's a giant nexus of an island that acts as a Ship Building central so we can take Merry there to get repaired AND get the money from all that gold." Nami explained with a hyperactive smirk from the prospect of the money they were going to get.
"Then that's where we're heading next….We patch up Merry and we can find a shipwright to join us on the crew." Morgan said resolutely while Nami changed course.
"See? You're so worried that you forget the most important thing from not just Morgan, but from the rest of them…." Nami said to Usopp as he dejectedly hung over the rail; "We may have lost this fight but we take what we have and improve it much better than we do if we win."
—-Some Time later—
The Crew split off so they could arrange for a group trip; Robin and Chopper went off to go exploring for more books while Nami, Morgan and Usopp were in one of the many accreditors who were currently examining the gold in front of them. "Hm…I think I can get you a good price of say….180 million Berris." The clerk mentioned as he adjusted his glasses which earned a look of surprise from not just Usopp but Morgan as well.
"That much?! We can get Merry the royal treatment with that kind of money!" Morgan mentioned with a grin as he and Usopp celebrated but the third person was far from impressed.
"Hold on a minute! That gold is hundreds of years old, isn't it?!" Nami questioned him as she picked up one of the ingots.
"Y-Yes it is but…with the current price of gold, we can't exa-"
"You can trick these two when it comes to money, but not me! There is no way that this gold that we fought for literal life and death! Is worth anything more than that!" Nami growled as she put the ingot down with a businesswoman like ferocity.
"Y-You know, now that you mention it…I think we can afford to push the boat out regarding your…discoveries, how about we improve our current offer…" The Clerk backpedaled as he realised that Nami knew exactly what to expect.
"300 Million for all that?! Nami, I don't think I can ever get tired of calling you amazing…" Morgan said with a goofy smile and with awe as he carried a briefcase along with Usopp and Nami.
"Come on, Morgan…I know that already~ But if it's you saying it then I can never get tired of hearing it~" She said playfully but thanked him with a kiss on his cheek as she felt good about fleecing the clerks. "Now then, time to get us a fully repaired Merry!"
—Meanwhile—
Chopper was in awe as they looked around the marketplace as they were preparing for a festival, Robin on the other hand was chuckling to herself as she saw the Reindeer Doctor having a good time. The words from Aokiji still rang in her head but a few surprisingly kind words from Morgan managed to shake that for a while.
"You're an omen? That's the biggest load of junk that I've heard! You're not exactly bad luck for us…You've actually done a lot of help for us ever since you helped me back in Jaya…Forget what that Admiral said and just know that while you're with us, we'll have your back." Those words echoed endlessly in her head and if it wasn't for the fact that a part of it still worried her, she would have had the biggest smile from Morgan being so adamant in supporting her.
"CP9…You've been warned, Nico Robin…" A deep voice rumbled from behind a mask in Robin's ear but whoever it came from vanished almost as quickly as she heard it.
Robin's belief that things were turning around quickly came to a halt as that name from her past came back to haunt her and she knew that she had to do something.
"Hey, Robin! I know that we were looking for books but I was wondering i-R-Robin? Robin!" Chopper called out as when they came out from around the corner only to find that the Archaeologist who had travelled with them had practically vanished into thin air.
—Back with the Trio—-
"So you think you can repair our ship?" Usopp asked hopefully as he was sitting and waiting for the results, when they got to the shipyard; Their Foreman in Chief Iceberg had sent someone ahead to assess Merry while they waited.
"Well, that wholly depends on what we find. You mentioned that this ship that you came in on was from the East Blue? I must admit it is astounding that a ship from a sea like that could handle the kind of trip that you had." Iceberg explained but was quickly interrupted as the "Usopp lookalike" Kaku had returned with the results, however it was at that same time that the briefcases that Usopp had been carrying were swiped.
While Nami and Morgan were talking with Iceberg, Usopp saw this as his chance to rush after them and get the money back so he made a mad sprint while they weren't looking.
"So…What can we do?" Nami asked as she was feeling like nothing could go wrong with that colossal sum of money that they could invest in it.
"I wanna see if we can get more showers! A bigger kitchen for Sanji! OOH! Maybe a-"
"I'm afraid that it won't be necessary to pay." Iceberg stated plainly as the news he heard was by far the heaviest thing he could say to dedicated seafarers and he wanted to try making it easy to give.
"Wait…You're giving us the repairs for free? That sounds a lot more my style…Now with the full sum, we can get more on offer for Merry!" Morgan grinned as he hadn't registered the message behind what Iceberg said.
"Morgan…" Nami gently stopped him as she DID understand but it was equally as hard for her to come to terms with it. "We're not going to pay because…They're saying that Merry can't be fixed…." She blurted it out though merely saying that felt harsh for Nami and she couldn't help but feel down about it.
"W-Wait…We can't give up on her….Not after all this!" Morgan felt the coils around his heart tighten when the prospect of losing Merry became more inevitable. "What if we put all the money plus what we already have into it! Can you fix it then?!" He asked the shipwrights with a hint of desperation in his voice.
Kaku looked downtrodden about having to deliver the news but he figured it was best heard from him; "Look, I know it's a lot to accept and for some people who travel for long periods on the same ship can grow attached to their vessels like a flesh and blood friend…But even IF we were to say yes and patch it up, you'll only get as far as the next island before it collapses."
"But…Merry's done so much for us…What is it that needs fixing?! I can pay you guys however much or get whatever materials you need! I just…Please don't make us do this…" Morgan tried to reason with them so that they could keep Merry but from what it looked like, they wouldn't budge on the matter either.
"It's the keel, the very foundation of any ship that can sail on water…I've found so many cracks in it that I don't even know how it stuck together this long…It's also the one part of the ship that even the most experienced shipwright cannot fix without ripping the whole thing apart…If you want my opinion, you can use that money and have her decommissioned here while she has the dignity to stand in one piece….We can even direct you to some newer ships that can handle the Grand Line's oceans with less issues." Iceberg detailed before pulling out a few brochures for them and gave one each. "I'm not going to force you to choose…But do think about it at least."
"I…Okay…" Nami relented as she reached down to pick up the briefcase but felt her blood run cold as the case seemed to feel a lot lighter than before; "Morgan! Check the briefcases now!" She yelled and frantically undid the clasps to show that the ones on hand were completely empty.
"It's…It's all gone…300 Million…" Even Morgan who hadn't put much thought into money could feel the aggravatingly frustrating burn of anger at this; "WHO THE HELL DID THIS?!"
"Oh…I think I know who it was." Kaku mentioned as he saw the empty cases; "A batch of renegade dismantlers who cause havoc in the city must've done it….It must be why your friend ran off earlier."
"What's their name?" Morgan asked as he got to his feet after kneeling to look at the case.
"The Franky Family…If it makes you feel any better, they can't have gotten far." Kaku tried to reassure Morgan but jumped in surprise as the Straw Hat Captain vanished onto the rooftops to track them down while Nami rushed into the busy streets to search there, unaware that Usopp had found them but was left in a bloodied and beaten up mess for his troubles.