Chapter 26: Chapter twenty six- setting sail and ruffling a robin’s feathers
It took Gabriel a few minutes to calm Nami down enough and to get her to sit down again, though she was giving Vivi death glares for having mentioned the name of the Boss even after she had said herself how dangerous it was.
Vivi for her part just held her head in her hands muttering apologies to everyone for what she had done.
"I wonder just how strong a Shichibukai is, their title sounds cool" Luffy smirked.
Gabriel smirked, "I'll be sure to tell you after I'm the one to kick his ass Luffy, remember our agreement, Arlong was yours, the next guy, crocodile, is mine" he told him.
"what no fair, you got to fight that Smokey guy back in Loguetown" Luffy argued.
Gabriel shook his head, "doesn't count, he was the one coming after us, this time we'll be the ones going looking for a fight, the little snapper is mine" he pointed out.
Luffy just crossed his arms and pouted. Gabriel shook his head, "Okay fine, if we come across any other enemies on the way to Alabasta you get first dibs okay?" Gabriel told him, he knew that the only real enemies between here and Alabasta would be the Mr three pair on little garden and that Hippo king on Drumb, as far as he was concerned Luffy could have them if he wanted, he could always fight them in his mind palace after he had seen them to get the points.
Luffy seemed to be mollified with that and grinned, "alright deal, but if you fight any opponent, I call dibs on then I get to help you take on Crocodile"
Gabriel shrugged, "deal" he said he had no intention of getting into Luffy's fights and would just ignore them for the most part, he had other things to do.
"Would you two just give it a rest," Nami snapped having enough of them not taking this seriously, "we're talking about a Shichibukai here, they are no joke"
Gabriel shook his head, "Relax Nami, I already know all I need to know about him, I'll easily handle him when I find him"
Nami gave him a look, "Oh really," she said as she crossed her arms, "then tell me just what do you know about him?"
Gabriel smirked and took in a deep breath, ""Desert King" Sir Crocodile, forty four years old, birthday September fifth, blood type S, his previous Bounty is Eighty Million berries but that was a before he became a Shichibukai, he is a Logia type devil fruit user, specifically the Suna-suna no mi which allows him to turn into sand, his right hand lets him absorb all the moisture out of anything he touches and the hook on his left arm has both a hidden poison inside it and a secret spring knife, the man is said to have a grudge against the Yonkō Whitebeard and has even tried to fight him at one point but was easily defeated, it was sixteen years ago that he ended his travels and settled in Alabasta to take on his duties as a Shichibukai and take advantage of the climate there with his devil fruit powers" he listed off all on one breath making everyone look at him wide eyed.
He caught all their looks and smirked, "what, my dream is to become the strongest Yonkō, do you think I wouldn't do my research on the Shichibukai that are said to be the strongest pirates in the first half of the grand line? Knowledge is power, so I collect every bit of it I can get, if it can help me in a fight all the better"
Nami swallowed, "and you really think you can beat someone who has an old bounty of eighty million Berri's?"
Gabriel smirked, "I'll take care of the little snapper the first time he and I cross paths just you watch, he won't know what hit him"
Nami looked down and way from him, she knew in her heart she should be scared but the way that Gabriel spoke, he sounded so confident, and that look in his eye, it was like he didn't have any doubt at all that he would be able to win even with the odds stacked up against them as they were.
Vivi looked at Gabriel with wide eyes, even she didn't know all that information about Crocodile, and she was the princess in the kingdom where he lived. She felt herself smile with confidence as she heard him declare that he would beat Crocodile, and although she he was risking her life for her and her country she couldn't help but feel her heart thundering in her chest as she heard the confidence of which he spoke, it was captivating.
However, they were all pulled from their conversation by Igaram's returned and Gabriel had to pull down his hat to keep from bursting out laughing at the mans state, he was dressed just like Vivi.
Soon enough Igaram explained to them what his plan was, and soon enough they were all gathered on a one of the island's shores where Igaram had a ship waiting for him, Gabriel said nothing knowing that the plan would fail either way but that Igaram would survive.
He watched along with the rest of them as Igaram sailed off but he was only a few hundred meters from the shoreline before the entire ship exploded in a huge fireball.
"What! They're after us already, that's impossible!" Nami said in shock as Gabriel, Zoro and Luffy all stood not looking away from the burning ship.
Vivi dropped to her knees with her hands over her mouth in shock as she could not believe what she was seeing, believing that Igaram had just perished in the explosion.
"Nami, the log?" Zoro asked as he glanced to her.
Nami looked down to her wrist and nodded, "we're good to go" she announced.
Gabriel reached up and pulled his hat down to shade his eyes as the three of them turned away from the shore, "let's go" Gabriel spoke to his crew who were looking at the burning wreck of the ship before turning to his voice, they all followed as ordered.
"Luffy, I'll go and get the ship ready to set sail with Zoro and my lot, you go get Sanji and Usopp" he reasoned, looking to Luffy out of the corner of his eye.
Luffy nodded in response with his own hat shading his eyes before they split up.
Gabriel reached the ship in record time with his first crewmembers and Zoro all following him up the rope ladder at the side of the ship.
"Zoro, Gem, get the sails ready to go, I'll get the anchor raised, Keren, man the rudder control, be ready to go as soon as the others get here, Mikita get up to the crows next and keep a weather eye out for anyone approaching the ship" Gabriel said taking command in Luffy's absence to get the ship ready.
Everyone ran to their positons following orders as they did so.
"hey," Zoro called to Gem, "you know their numbers right, being a former member right, how many guys can this lot afford to send after us"
Gem frowned, "there are several bases just like this one scatters across the first half of the grand line, with numbers similar to here, but the organisation has ships with crews by the hundreds sailing all over the waters after this island and around Alabasta, I don't know exact figures I never paid that much attention to find out"
Zoro grimaced at the idea of that many people coming after them.
"I can't just leave him here," they all heard Vivi back on the ground with her and Nami having finally caught up to them.
"What's going on?" Zoro called as he and gem loosened the ropes on the sails and began to clime down to secure the ropes at the bottom so all they would have to do was pull another rope when it was time to sail and the sails would unfurl.
"Apparently her duck is missing!" Nami groaned.
Gabriel finished pulled the anchor up and secured it to the railing on the side of the ship, he looked over to see Carue, the four foot tall duck sitting on the upper deck just watching him.
"He's already on board" Gabriel called, "hurry up, once Luffy get's here.." he said but stopped when he saw Luffy coming running from down the shore dragging both Sanji and Usopp behind him, "never mind here he comes, get on"
It didn't take long after that before they were sailing out into the river and heading towards the mouth of the ocean, Sanji and Usopp finally woke up to see that they were leaving and started complaining about going so soon, and quickly regretted it as Nami delivered swift punches to the top of their heads to get them to shut up and laid them both out flat with one blow each.
Gabriel stood with his arms crossed as he looked out towards the ocean in front of them, the fog had come in again and it was hard to see but with Nami's guidance they were making it safely out into the wide open waters of the grand line once more. Just as they were coming through the final part of the fog a voice that Gabriel had been waiting to hear finally spoke.
"I'm just glad we made it way from the people who were chasing us"
Gabriel turned when he heard that and looked across the ship to see he sitting on the railing idly, 'Nico Robin' he thought to himself as he saw her, she really was more beautiful than what her anime persona gave her credit for, a slender body with curves in all the right places, long black hair and eyes that a man could get lost in if he stared for too long.
It took the others a few more seconds to notice her presence but all quickly turned to her as Vivi spoke out in shock identifying her as Miss all Sunday and revealing her to be Crocodiles partner. Gem, Mikita froze where they were and Keren's eyes widened when she heard the name there wasn't an officer agent who didn't know just who that woman was partnered with.
She seemed to take it all in her stride as she looked over them all, "my my what a sight, five officer agents going rogue all at the one time, this really is something rather unique" she said before her eyes landed on Gabriel who she had noticed had his eyes on her ever since she first spoke, "very unique in deed" she smiled.
Gabriel smirked, "indeed, it is, but not totally unexpected" he stated, as others wondered just what he was talking about, clearly there was something they were not getting, "tell me, why is the so called "Devil child" working with Crocodile, what has he offered you"
Robin's eyes narrowed at his words, he knew who she was, she frowned, but before she could speak she suddenly found weapons pointed at her from various angles, Sanji with a pistol on the right, Usopp on the left with his sling shot, Gem had pulled out his own revolver flintlock hybrid and had it trained on her as well, Zoro had his sword drawn and Nami had her staff at the ready, the only ones who didn't have weapons out were, Mikita who couldn't use her devil fruit powers on the ship, Keren who was still holding the ships course, and Gabriel who had no interest in fighting with her.
"I would really appreciate it, if you would stop pointing those things at me," Robin stated before in a flash all weapons were knocked from their own hands.
Gabriel knew what her powers were and even he was surprised by what he saw, he had been trying to spot the limbs he knew were being sprouted from the various surfaces but evidently they were there and gone so fast even he couldn't see them.
'definitely not fighting her in my mind palace until I'm stronger or I have my battle endurance up, she'd have my neck broke the second after she appeared' Gabriel mentally remarked
"Now calm down, I'm not here to fight anyone, I haven't been giving any orders to do so" she stated as she looked over all of them again, Sanji and Usopp had been tossed to the lower deck along with their weapons and her eyes settled on Luffy before idly using her powers to flick his hat up to her, "I just came to watch, this little bunch is so interesting" she mused as her eyes flickered up to Gabriel again, he hadn't take his eyes off her and she didn't know why but she found his gaze lacking in the heat she expected, it wasn't like he was looking at her as an enemy but there was something else in his eyes that she couldn't place.
Deciding to think more on it later she flipped the straw hat in her hand around and put it on top of her own purple cowgirl hat and looked down to Vivi, "so this is the group you have chosen to protect you, nine pirates and a princess against the thousands of agents that Baroque works has in its employ, and your bad luck doesn't end there I'm afraid, given where your log pose is pointing, the next island is called little garden" she mused, "we don't have to lift a finger, you'll all be dead before you could ever hope of seeing the shores of Alabasta"
Gabriel closed his eyes as he took a breath, he knew what she was talking about, Little garden, not only was the island Jurassic park come to life but it took a full year for the log pose to set when they reach there, if anything specific changed from the events of the canon they would be stuck on that island for a year and Alabasta would have fallen and been rebuilt by the time they finally left.
"Do you not think it's a little foolish, allowing yourselves to be wiped out" Robin said as she tossed Luffy's hat back to him while at the same time tossing Gabriel an eternal pose which he caught, "that's an eternal pose to an island closer to Alabasta, with it you can skip little garden all together and then just sail on to Alabasta right after, none of our agents know that course so you won't be followed" she explained.
Gabriel shook his head as he tucked the pose into his kimono secretly depositing it into his inventory, "sorry but while I may be a captain I'm not the captain of this ship, where it sails is Luffys decision, thanks for the pose though"
"That's right," Luffy said with a growl as he put his hat back on, "I'm the one who says where this sails, no one else got it" he said firmly.
Robin shrugged at his words, "I'm sorry to hear that," she said as she swung her legs over the railing, knowingly or not giving Gabriel a great view of her skirt clad ass as she did so before looking back at them, "I hope that we meet again, if you survive that is" she said as she began to walk toward the side of the ship.
Gabriel frowned as he watched her, "Nico Robin," Gabriel stated as she froze in her steps hearing her name being called, "you never answered my question, why are you working with Crocodile, what has he offered you"
Robin looked to him her eyes narrowed, "don't call me that," she stated, "and I don't have to answer you, my business is my business also…" she began to say before she was cut off.
"it's a Poneglyph isn't it, the one that the Alabasta Royal family is rumoured to have been guarding, he promised you that you could read it didn't he," Gabriel stated shocking her yet again, "what is Crocodile really after, the lost ancient weapons, Pluton, Poseidon, Uranus? Would you really help him to awaken such forces?" he knew she wouldn't of course, he just wanted to rattle her cage as much as he could, she liked to play mind games, well so did he.
Robin hid it well, but her eyes opened a fraction more hearing those names, and everyone was looking at either her or Gabriel not knowing what they were talking about. Eventually Robin spoke again knowing she needed to leave, she needed to think, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see" she said before jumping off the edge of the ship and landing on her giant turtle that immediately began to swim way in another direction from the going Merry.
Gabriel walked to the side of the ship and looked out watching her go, once she was out of sight he turned only to find everyone looking at him with many questions on their minds, he mentally sighed, 'should have seen this coming'
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PsyChotiX556
PsyChotiX556 Another early update for you all, I might upload a double post next, not sure just yet, I still haven’t finished writing the next arc due to reasons but hopefully I should finish it in time to prevent any delays in future posts
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