WebNovels

Chapter 51 - Chapter 51 : I Have To Tell You Something

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Luffy's point of view:

"Let me go!" I yelled, struggling against the hands holding me down.

"You're not going!" Zoro said firmly, his grip unyielding.

"He wants to do this alone, just let him!" Sanji shouted, trying to convince Zoro.

"Luffy, you know Ikki wouldn't do this without a good reason," Rose pleaded, her voice full of worry. "You just have to trust him."

Fifteen minutes later, I was still struggling. "AGGGHHHH!"

"It's been fifteen minutes, let him go already," Wyper finally said.

I broke free and bolted toward where Ikki and Aokiji had been. The air grew colder with every step, and the ground became covered in snow and frost. Then, I saw him.

"There!" Sanji yelled, pointing.

Ikki was frozen solid, just like Robin had been. His body was stuck in the middle of a motion, as if time had stopped for him.

What the hell happened?!

"NOOOO!" I screamed, rushing forward.

"Don't touch him," Zoro warned, grabbing my arm. "You're shaking too much; you might accidentally break him. Let us move him."

Zoro and Sanji carefully carried Ikki back to the Explorer and brought him to Chopper. I went to my usual spot on the figurehead, my heart a lead weight in my chest, and waited.

Rose's point of view:

I just sat there, waiting for Chopper to give us some kind of good news. First Robin, and now Ikki. This was bad. Luffy hadn't said a word since they got back. He just sat on the ship's figurehead, staring blankly out at the sea.

I climbed up beside him. "Hey, are you alright? It's not like you to be this quiet."

He ran a thumb over his straw hat, a habit he had when he was worried. "I'm fine," he mumbled, not looking at me.

He was lying.

"Luffy, it's okay to be scared. I'm afraid too," I said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "But sitting around won't help anyone."

"I can't… lose him too," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"I know," I said softly, pulling him into a hug. "It'll be okay." I lingered for a moment before letting go. "I'm gonna go check on things. Just call me if you want to talk some more."

"Okay," he replied, still staring out at the ocean.

I hopped onto the deck and found Zoro standing there. We hadn't talked much since we got back from Skypiea, but we needed to get used to being around each other.

"How is he?" Zoro asked, his gaze fixed on Luffy.

"Not good. I haven't seen Luffy like this in a long time," I frowned. "When Ikki isn't around, Luffy always loses his smile."

"Ikki's your brother. Aren't you scared?" Zoro asked.

"Of course I am, but right now Ikki would want me to be strong for Luffy. So I have to keep it together," I said, wiping away some tears. "Luffy's a lot more sensitive than you all realize."

"You're not the only one on this ship," he said simply. "We're all here for each other."

"Heh, maybe this will freeze those desires he has for Robin," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Doubt it," Zoro replied, a hint of a smile on his face.

Just then, Chopper came out of the bathroom where he was treating Ikki and Robin. I immediately called for Luffy. It was clear Chopper had something important to say.

Please be good news.

"Their hearts… are beating again!" Chopper cried, tears streaming down his face.

I fell to my knees, a wave of pure relief washing over me. "Thank goodness," I murmured.

I looked over at Luffy, and the look of pure relief on his face spoke volumes. Chopper explained that we couldn't go in and see them just yet since they needed rest. Nami confirmed that the Log was set but suggested we wait until they were better before leaving.

"We'll wait for them to get better," Luffy agreed without hesitation.

Usopp fell onto the deck, looking completely dejected.

"What's wrong with you?" Zoro asked.

"Are we gonna run into more guys like that?" he asked, his voice shaking.

No one answered.

"Just get some sleep. It's late and you look exhausted," Zoro told him.

"You get some rest too," Usopp said, gesturing to me.

Ikki's point of view:

Getting frozen solid sucks. All my joints ache, and my muscles are incredibly sore.

Apparently, a week had passed since my fight with Aokiji. Robin still wasn't well enough to get out of bed, but I decided to go out onto the deck.

"YAY!" Luffy screamed, jumping into me and hugging me tightly.

"Easy, Luffy, I just got out of bed," I groaned.

"Oh, sorry," he said, hanging his head.

"What are you getting all depressed for? Cheer up, I'm not dead," I said, rubbing his head.

"I'm happy," Luffy insisted.

"Yeah, sorry I worried you," I said with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't ever leave like that again."

We stood there for a while before Sanji walked past and made a teasing remark. "Would the loving couple like a table?"

"Shut it, Cook," I grumbled.

Luffy went off to play with Chopper and Usopp. I found Rose throwing darts at the mast.

"Hey," I said.

"You're out of bed. That's good," she replied. "Where's Robin?"

"She's still not talking much. She was asleep when I came outside," I sighed. "The whole thing shook her up, and me getting frozen didn't help matters."

"Yeah," she said. "It seemed like you getting put on ice did a number on everyone."

"How was he?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know exactly how he was. The same way he gets every time you get hurt or go away. His smile just disappeared," she explained. "This gave him a real scare. I haven't seen him that bad in years."

"If that asshole's out there somewhere, I'll tear him a new one," I growled. "It's all his fault Luffy gets like that."

"Ikki, it's not fair to blame him. Besides, it's not like you can get revenge on a dead guy," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I felt so useless."

There was a creaking noise, and the door on the upper deck opened. Robin stepped out for the first time in a week.

"Robin! How are you feeling?" Chopper asked her.

She still looked pretty exhausted. "Much better, thank you, Doctor," she replied.

"Don't feel like you need to rush just because he got out of bed," Rose told her.

Robin simply asked for a cup of coffee and went about her business. I milled around the deck for a while before deciding to go inside to talk to her. I knew we needed to get this out in the open. I opened the door and found her talking with Nami.

"Hey," I said, letting them know I was there.

Nami said hello, but Robin didn't. I guess Nami sensed the tense atmosphere and excused herself. Robin and I sat there in silence for a while before I finally broke it.

"So… getting frozen sucks."

"Yes, it does," she said bluntly.

"Look, let's cut to the chase," I said, trying not to get frustrated. "Me getting frozen is not your fault, and I don't want you to think that."

"Alright."

Jeez, give me something to work with.

"Robin, say something! Your lack of talking is freaking me out."

She just hummed to herself and didn't speak.

Okay, what's it gonna take to get her attention?

"Robin… I stayed to fight Aokiji to help you, not to make you feel worse. Losing to him sucked; I thought I was dead for sure," I paused to collect my thoughts, making sure I was ready for what I was about to say next. "I was worried I'd die and never get to see you again."

She just shook her head.

She's not even listening. I have to go all out. I have to tell her.

"I care about you, Robin; I care a lot. It's obvious I have feelings for you. I'm crazy about you, so please say something because you're freaking me out!"

Robin picked up her coffee mug and walked away, saying, "I told you if you kept flirting with me like that, you'd end up hurt."

"Robin, wait!" I grabbed her wrist. "If this is about what Aokiji said about your past, I don't care. If it means I can have you, I'll fight anything. I'm sick of waiting, I'm taking the lead. So whether you like it or not, on the next island, I'm taking you on a date."

She broke free of my grip. "I told you no."

"Yeah, and I don't care. Go ask anyone on the deck, and they'll tell you how obvious the two of us are when we're flirting. I'm sick of this song and dance. I'll show you a good time and make all your fears go away."

She walked out onto the deck. "Please, just leave me alone."

I went out after her and found the rest of the crew using the oars to chase something.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"Gotta get that frog!" Luffy yelled.

I looked past the ship, and there was a giant frog doing the forward crawl. It was a huge, brown creature covered in scars.

Well, you see something new every day.

There was a horn-like noise in the distance, and the ship suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Nami started screaming for us to turn the ship around. We barely got the Merry free when a huge metal bullet shot past us. The frog, however, didn't move. He stood there and took the hit head-on.

"Look, Granny pirates!" a voice called out.

We looked over at the slab housing the lighthouse, and an old woman stumbled out. She was completely plastered, fall-down drunk.

Should someone like that really be watching a child?

Sanji gave them something he had whipped up in the kitchen, and that instantly made them very friendly.

"I'm Chimney, this is my Granny Kokoro, and this is Gonbe the cat," the little girl said, introducing them.

Pretty sure that's a rabbit.

The girl explained that we had nearly been hit by something called a 'Sea-Train,' which was a steam-powered car that ran on tracks below the water. The frog, whose name was Yokozuna, was trying to beat the train in a contest of strength.

"Alright, then I won't eat him. I don't eat hardworking animals," Luffy said.

"You really shouldn't eat frogs, to begin with," Nami commented.

"Yeah, they're all slimy," I told him. "They don't look tasty."

Luffy wanted to take the train to a place called 'the City of Cuisine,' but Nami reminded him about following the Log Pose.

"Where's it pointing?" Kokoro asked.

"West."

"Oh boy, you're headed to 'The City of Water,' Water Seven. It's a place that specializes in shipbuilding," she explained.

"Are the shipwrights there any good?" Luffy asked.

"They're the best in the world; even the government trusts those guys," Kokoro said.

"Man, we hit the jackpot, Luffy," I told him. "An island full of what we're looking for."

"Then let's go there and find one to be our friend and become our shipwright!"

The old woman went inside and came back with a scrap of paper. "Take this. It's a map of the area and a letter of recommendation. Give them to a man named Iceberg, and he'll take good care of you. You'll be there a week before the Log records, so stay and have some fun."

"We'll be going there soon, so maybe we'll see you," Chimney said.

"See ya!" we all shouted. And with that, we headed off to Water Seven in search of repairs and a shipwright for the crew.

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