Chapter 45 - Chapter 44

I was in a fantastic mood. Seriously, how could I not be? I'd travelled to Skypiea hoping to learn more about my Devil Fruit and fight one of the world's most powerful Logia users. Instead, I'd discovered an ancient civilisation, uncovered more information about Makora, developed an actual hybrid transformation, beaten the shit out of a self-proclaimed God and somehow convinced the same bastard to come travelling with us. Oh, and there was the possibility of visiting the fucking moon. 

KAH-RA-RA-RA! Life was good, my friends. Life was very, very good.

Unfortunately, Enel appeared.

"This vessel is an embarrassment."

I stopped examining the repairs around the Vesper's mast and turned toward him. He stood near the stern, golden staff against one shoulder, examining the deck as though he'd discovered dogshit on an expensive carpet.

"Excuse me?" I raised a brow

"Surely someone possessing your strength could acquire something more…appropriate." He gestured around him. "Even the vessels used by ordinary merchants in Skypiea offered greater accommodation."

I placed my hand against the mast. "Enel. Do you know what this beautiful lady has survived?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I suspect you're about to tell me."

"She's carried me across the Grand Line, survived storms, Marine encounters, pirates and an incident involving an underwater volcanic eruption that I may or may not have caused."

"You deliberately launched this vessel into the heavens using an explosion?"

"Exactly! And look at her! Still standing! That's quality craftsmanship right there."

Robin glanced up from the documents she'd been arranging near the cabin entrance. "I suspect surviving that particular incident says more about your judgement than the quality of the ship."

I gasped. "Robin!"

"Although Pagaya's repairs certainly helped."

"Thank you," I muttered. "At least somebody appreciates her."

"I was referring to Pagaya."

"BETRAYAL!"

Enel closed his eyes in dissapointment. 

Personally, I thought he should've been grateful. The Vesper was a fine ship, especially considering everything I'd put her through since acquiring her. Admittedly, she'd required considerable repairs recently, but ships needed maintenance. Particularly ships owned by me.

I returned to inspecting the mast. Pagaya had replaced damaged fittings, reinforced the supports and patched the hull, leaving new timber noticeably lighter than the original planks. Everything felt solid beneath my hands. I gave one fitting an experimental tug, found it didn't move, then remembered how much stronger I'd become recently. Perhaps testing the repairs by attempting to tear them apart wasn't the smartest idea. Growth, ladies and gentlemen.

Inside the cabin, Robin had claimed most of our limited table space. Copied inscriptions from Shandora sat beside older documents recovered beneath Lulusia and bundles of material gathered on Skypiea. We'd acquired enough paperwork to make a small library, an impressive achievement considering we'd gone to the sky primarily because I wanted to punch someone.

"Everything secured?" I asked.

"Almost. I've separated the more fragile documents and placed them beneath the charts. I'd rather avoid having another collection scattered across the cabin."

"That happened only like…once." I scoffed

"Twice." she corrected

I waved my hand dismissively. "The second time was a controlled experiment."

She chuckled while I helped secure the remaining bundles in the storage compartment we'd cleared beneath the table. Some were centuries old, and while I could probably survive being struck by a collapsing library, the books possessed considerably less impressive durability.

Enel appeared in the doorway carrying a wooden chest beneath one arm and several rolled documents in the other. "Where am I expected to place these?"

I glanced at the chest. "What's in there?"

"Possessions of considerably greater value than anything contained within this primitive vessel."

"Right, so socks and underwear."

Electricity crackled across his shoulder.

"Kai," Robin said without looking up.

"What? I'm asking reasonable questions."

Enel placed the chest against the wall and handed her the documents, although he held on when she first reached for them. "More of the surviving records of Birka. Several concern ancient mechanisms, while others describe traditions preserved by our scholars. They are irreplaceable."

Robin's teasing expression disappeared. "I'll handle them carefully. Thank you, Enel."

"Hmph. See that you do."

He turned away, apparently satisfied with his contribution to academia, which was when Murdoch struck. The little bastard hopped from his perch near the entrance, waddled toward the chest and investigated an opening beneath its lid.

Enel and I noticed at the same time. "What is that creature doing?" he demanded.

"Exploring."

"It is attempting to steal my property."

"Allegedly."

Murdoch emerged with a small golden ornament in his beak.

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE..."

Lightning sparked between Enel's fingers, and I was across the cabin before he could finish. 

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! HOLD ON THERE, THUNDER BOY!"

Murdoch abandoned his treasure and jumped onto my shoulder, looking remarkably innocent for a bird currently wanted for attempted theft. I pointed at Enel. "Listen here. I can tolerate you insulting my ship, questioning my intelligence and even committing the occasional act of religious narcissism. But threatening the Vesper's most distinguished crew member?"

"That animal stole from me!"

"He's a bird, Enel. He doesn't understand property law." Murdoch attempted to peck the ornament again. "See? Completely innocent."

Robin watched us with her chin resting against one hand. "Perhaps we could establish a rule against electrocuting members of the travelling party."

"An excellent rule!"

Enel folded his arms. "I am surrounded by imbeciles."

"KAH-RA-RA-RA!"

…

The question of how we were actually going to descend from Skypiea became considerably more interesting once Enel discovered our transportation arrangements. Conis had explained that several routes existed between the White-White Sea and the Blue Sea, although most involved considerable danger. Fortunately, the Skypieans possessed a wonderful solution: a gigantic balloon octopus.

Yes, an octopus. A massive, inflatable, many-tentacled creature that could support a ship as it descended through the clouds. One had been arranged near the edge of Angel Island, and by the following morning, several Skypieans were helping secure its tentacles around the Vesper's reinforced supports.

Enel watched in silence for approximately thirty seconds. "You cannot be serious."

I turned toward him. "About what?"

"That...thing."

I followed his finger toward the enormous pink creature hovering above us, its inflated body swaying in the breeze. "Oh, him? Yeah. Magnificent creature, isn't he?"

"You intend to suspend our vessel beneath an animal?"

"Yep!"

"...An animal."

"Correct." I nodded.

"Over an abyss extending thousands of metres toward the Blue Sea."

I nodded enthusiastically. "You've got it!"

He stared at me, then turned toward Robin. "Surely you possess sufficient intelligence to recognise the absurdity of this arrangement."

She examined the ropes. "The alternative would involve allowing Kai to throw the ship over the edge and attempting to recover it before we reach the ocean."

I raised one finger. "In my defence, I hadn't suggested that yet."

"Which is precisely why I prefer supervising your decisions."

Enel looked between us, then back at the octopus. "This is madness."

"Dude, we travelled up here by manufacturing a volcanic eruption. Compared to that, this is practically public transport."

That didn't reassure him. Honestly, some people were impossible to please. After another hour, the remaining ropes were secured, Conis had wished us a safe journey, and Pagaya had offered several final warnings about excessive strain on the repaired mast. I thanked them both and promised to take excellent care of the ship. Robin made a suspicious noise behind me. 

Rude.

Murdoch settled on the railing while Enel stood near the centre of the deck, his staff planted against the boards. I took one last look toward Angel Island. What a fucking place. I'd arrived expecting an adventure and was leaving with enough memories to fill several books. Somewhere behind those clouds lay Shandora and the remnants of a civilisation whose history might explain exactly what I'd become. Makora's origins, the ancient migrations, the connection between the sky peoples and the moon; Robin had enough questions for months, which meant plenty more adventures ahead. Beautiful.

"Alright!" I called. "LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!"

A Skypiean released the final securing line, and the Vesper drifted forward, her red sails hanging loosely beneath the enormous octopus. For a moment, we remained suspended near the edge of the White-White Sea.

Then we dropped…HOLY SHEEET!!!

Clouds swallowed us, white rushing past the railings as the octopus expanded above us and the ropes pulled taut. Wind tore across the deck, filling my ears with a continuous roar. Then we broke through the first layer, and an enormous expanse of open sky stretched beneath us. Far below that, almost too distant to comprehend, was the Blue Sea.

I spread my arms. "KAH-RA-RA-RA! WOOOHOO!"

Robin held the railing beside the helm, monitoring our descent and adjusting the rigging. Her hair whipped around her face, and I could see her smiling despite our rather concerning speed. 

Enel, meanwhile, appeared to be reconsidering his understanding of divine punishment. "The creature is descending too quickly!"

"That's gravity, Winnie!"

"WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME THAT!"

I laughed and leaned over the railing. The ocean resembled an enormous polished surface, interrupted by darker patches and the occasional island. Then a gust struck the Vesper from the side, swinging the entire ship beneath the octopus. The mast groaned, and a securing line pulled tight enough to split the timber around its fitting. Ah. That looked expensive.

"Port support!" Robin called.

"On it!"

Pale muscle expanded along my right arm as I grabbed the support, my fingers growing large enough to wrap around the timber without crushing it. The transformed limb took the pressure when we swung again, preventing the fitting from tearing free. Unfortunately, the other ropes carrying our weight were beginning to complain too.

Robin crossed her arms. "Seis Fleur!"

Additional arms bloomed along the deck and mast, catching loose lines and hauling them into position. One secured a sliding equipment chest while another caught Murdoch, who'd decided this was an excellent opportunity to investigate the edge of the railing.

"ENEL! LITTLE HELP!?"

He was already moving. Electricity flashed across the deck, and he appeared beside the damaged fitting. His staff softened beneath his hand, a section flowing outward and wrapping around the split support. The metal tightened, and the timber stopped moving. Oh, that was clever.

"Your vessel is poorly constructed!" he shouted.

"YOUR OPINION'S BEEN NOTED!" I yelled back.

The reinforced support held through the next gust. Robin secured the last loose line, and I released my grip once the strain had spread through the other attachments. The octopus continued descending, completely unconcerned by our brush with a very expensive disaster.

Enel examined the golden reinforcement with obvious dissatisfaction. 

"Nice work, mate!" I said.

"Hmph. I merely prevented your incompetence from killing us."

I sighed losing the will to argue, Robin laughed behind me. The rest of the descent was less eventful, though Enel kept making hostile observations about the octopus, the ship, and my qualifications to operate either. Eventually, I could distinguish individual waves, and the creature carried us down until the Vesper settled onto the ocean with a heavy splash. Water rose around the hull, the ropes slackened, and we were floating. Only then did the octopus begin deflating above us as we released its attachments.

I listened to the familiar sound of waves against the timber for several seconds, then threw both fists into the air. "WE'RE ALIVE!"

Murdoch squawked enthusiastically. Robin examined the deck. "And the ship appears to be intact. How wonderful."

Enel stared after the retreating octopus. "I will never subject myself to such indignity again."

I slapped him on the shoulder. "KAH-RA-RA! Don't worry, Nelly! Next time we'll use the volcano!"

He slowly turned toward me. 

Enel: (._.)

…this voyage was going to be wonderful.

…

Enel spent the next several hours examining the ocean will this intense fascination. Which, in fairness, wasn't entirely unreasonable. He'd known the Blue Sea existed, obviously, but standing on a ship surrounded by thousands of kilometres of actual seawater was apparently a different experience. He'd been watching the horizon for nearly twenty minutes when I joined him.

"Enjoying the scenery?"

"The sheer quantity of water is... considerable."

I grinned. "Yep. Welcome to the Grand Line."

"And you claim there are civilisations scattered across this ocean?"

"Thousands of islands, some have kingdoms, others have pirates, Marines, enormous monsters and enough weird shit to keep you entertained for several lifetimes."

He scoffed. "These ordinary inhabitants of the Blue Sea cannot possibly compare to the beings of the heavens."

I turned toward him. "Enel. Where exactly do you think I came from?"

He paused, then looked away. "Irrelevant."

"KAH-RA-RA-RA!" God, he was stubborn. I settled against the railing. "Seriously, though. Don't underestimate this place. There are people out there who could give you a proper fight, and some who'd beat your arse before you finished introducing yourself as God."

"Preposterous." he barked.

"Mate, you met one Blue Sea Devil Fruit user and lost your entire kingdom…" His eyebrow twitched, and I smiled. "Would you like another demonstration?"

Electricity crackled along his fingers, and I grinned. "That's the spirit!"

Unfortunately, Robin interrupted before we could arrange another fight. She'd been adjusting our course when Murdoch abandoned his perch and took flight, screeching at something beneath the water. I assumed he'd spotted fish, then a broad shadow passed beneath the Vesper, extending beyond the ship in either direction. Water swelled around us, and smaller fish launched themselves from the surface in a desperate attempt to leave the local ecosystem. Ah, now that was more like it.

"Robin! We've got company!"

"I noticed."

The sea erupted several hundred metres ahead. An enormous head emerged, followed by a thick neck covered in dark scales. Horns curved backward from its skull, and its mouth opened wide enough to sail the Vesper between its teeth with room to spare. A Sea King, and a fucking big one, too!

"KAH-RA-RA! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!"

Enel straightened, his usual contempt giving way to interest. "Remarkable."

"RIGHT!?"

The creature bellowed and raised more of its body, water pouring down its scales in massive sheets. Waves began rocking the Vesper. Enel lifted his staff. "Such a creature would make an interesting demonstration of divine judgement."

Lightning gathered around him, and I grabbed his shoulder. "Ahhhh nope!"

"Remove your hand."

"I love the enthusiasm, but we're not electrocuting the giant sea monster."

"Do you doubt my ability to destroy it?"

"No, I doubt its ability to die without smashing our ship first!" The Sea King turned toward us, and I gestured at it. "You hit that thing with enough lightning to piss it off, and what's stopping it from throwing its entire body onto the Vesper?"

"I would simply destroy it before it approached."

"Sure, and what happens if the bastard falls on us? Or capcises the boat."

He opened his mouth, paused, then examined the creature again. 

"I'd also appreciate avoiding unnecessary damage to the surrounding waters," Robin called.

"See? The intelligent member of our crew agrees."

"How flattering." he muttered..

I grinned at Enel. "There's a time and place for enormous displays of destructive power. Usually somewhere far away from the ship."

The Sea King watched us a few moments longer, then descended beneath the surface, leaving enormous waves that rocked us for several minutes. Enel lowered his staff reluctantly.

"Such creatures are common in the Blue Sea?"

I nodded. "Their common enough. Just wait until you see some of the really big ones."

"Larger?"

"Oh, mate. You've got no idea."

He watched the water in silence after that. I considered it an excellent first lesson.

…

Later that afternoon, he discovered something considerably more interesting. I'd lowered a bucket over the side and leaned down to free its rope from a fitting when a wave rose against the hull, swallowing the arm I'd reached down with. Weakness spread through me, unpleasant but manageable before I hauled myself upright and dragged the bucket aboard. It passed quickly once my arm was clear of the water.

Enel noticed, naturally. "Your strength. The seawater affected you."

I glanced at my wet arm. "Yeah. Devil Fruit weakness. Bit of a design flaw, unfortunately."

"And yet you recovered almost immediately."

"Ah! You've noticed!"

He watched suspiciously while I described our experiments near Jaya. Seawater still drained my strength, but my body had become better at compensating. I'd even developed functioning gills and muscular adaptations that made swimming possible.

"You altered your body to survive beneath the ocean?" he asked. "Despite possessing a Devil Fruit?"

"Pretty much!"

He folded his arms. "Then perhaps similar developments could be achieved through sufficient training."

I lowered the bucket. Oh, no. I recognised that tone. That was my tone. "Enel, no, before you start getting ideas, remember that we don't have the same Devil Fruit."

"Your power is merely one possible means of overcoming a weakness."

"True, but mine specifically adapts to things trying to kill me. Yours gives you electricity. Fantastic electricity, admittedly, but I wouldn't recommend testing whether you can become immune to drowning."

He looked thoughtful. Too thoughtful. "Perhaps repeated exposure..."

"NO!"

We turned to find Robin near the cabin entrance, arms folded. "Neither of you is conducting seawater experiments aboard this ship."

I gasped. "Robin! You of all people suppressing scientific progress!"

"I'm preventing two Devil Fruit users from throwing themselves into the ocean."

"That's practically the same thing!"

She took the bucket and placed it against the wall. "Kai, scientific progress becomes considerably less impressive when it requires me to rescue you from drowning."

"That's why we use a rope!"

"And who exactly would be holding that rope while you encourage Enel to electrocute himself underwater?"

I considered that, then turned toward Murdoch. He squawked.

Robin closed her eyes. "Please tell me you weren't about to suggest the bird."

"He's an excellent sailor!"

"He's a thief with wings."

"Multitalented, yes!"

Enel eventually scoffed. "Such an absurd collection of mortals."

I threw an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, Nelly. You'll fit right in."

"REMOVE YOUR ARM!"

"KAH-RA-RA!"

I responded by electroducting me (´.＿.｀)

…

The first few weeks aboard the Vesper were some of the most entertaining I'd experienced since leaving East Blue. We visited smaller islands, replenished supplies, avoided storms and continued our research whenever Robin found something worth investigating. The real entertainment came from Enel attempting to adjust to shipboard life. It was a beautiful disaster.

Our first supply stop also solved my clothing problem. Pagaya's borrowed shirt had spent long enough fighting for its life, and I found a tailor willing to make something that actually accommodated my shoulders. Apparently, that cost extra. 

I left with a long black coat, cut sleeveless and broad through the back, with a high, turned-down collar and deep red lining that showed when the wind caught the open front. Beneath it, I wore an ivory shirt, also sleeveless, with the neck left open. Dark charcoal trousers gave me room through the thighs without hanging like sacks, and a wide leather belt held them above sturdy black boots. My hands stayed bare, leaving the wheel across my right knuckles visible. The whole arrangement had the clean lines I'd liked in my old suit, with considerably more room to move.

I examined myself in the tailor's mirror. White hair, black coat, magnificent arms. Beautiful.

"Presentable at last," Robin remarked.

"Presentable?" I said flexing my biceps.

Her gaze travelled over me before she smiled. "Try to make this set last longer than the previous one."

"I'll take the coat off before training."

"A promising start."

I'd bought spare shirts just in case and Enel, meanwhile, believed his supposed divinity exempted him from maintaining the vessel. On our third morning, I found him reclining beneath an awning near the stern with a bowl of fruit, several cushions and enough confidence to turn the arrangement into a royal audience chamber. Robin and I were repairing a loose section of railing.

"Enel! Come help us."

He opened one eye. "I beg your pardon?"

"We've got repairs to finish. Grab those tools."

He laughed. Actually laughed. "Yahahaha! You expect God to perform manual labour?"

"Yep!"

"How utterly ridiculous."

I lowered the hammer. "Dude, everyone aboard contributes."

He gestured toward Murdoch, currently attempting to open a sack of dried fruit. "And what precisely does that creature contribute?"

"Excellent question! Murdoch delivers just FREE newspapers, provides companionship, occasionally catches fish and steals food from people who deserve it." The bird succeeded in opening the sack. "See? Initiative!"

Enel closed his eyes. "I shall not demean myself with such trivial work."

Ah, we had ourselves a problem. Fortunately, Robin possessed a solution. She examined the damaged railing, then gave him a thoughtful look. "It's unfortunate."

"What?"

"Kai and I could certainly repair this ourselves, although I imagine someone possessing your remarkable control over electricity might find a considerably more efficient solution."

Oh? I paused as he sat upright.

"Naturally."

"Perhaps you could demonstrate it?"

He rose from his cushions with tremendous importance. "Stand aside."

Several minutes later, he'd heated the necessary metal components and secured the railing more efficiently than I could've managed with ordinary tools. Robin thanked him, and he appeared exceptionally pleased with himself. I stared at her. She smiled. 

Naturally, I started copying her. "Enel, I was wondering whether your divine abilities could help us locate the next island."

"Naturally. My Mantra encompasses distances beyond your comprehension."

"Fantastic! Could you check the surrounding waters?"

"Hmph. Very well."

Another afternoon, I asked whether someone as intelligent as him could figure out why a lantern wasn't working.

"Give it here, fool."

Then I suggested that a true God could prepare breakfast without setting the galley on fire.

"Are you challenging me?"

"Absolutely!"

Robin had to intervene when he demonstrated the superiority of divine cooking by heating an entire pot of stew with electricity. The stew was excellent. The pot was considerably less fortunate.

By the end of the second week, he'd acquired responsibility for checking the surrounding waters, assisting with mechanical repairs and occasionally helping prepare meals. He realised what we'd been doing on the seventeenth day. I remember because Robin had just asked whether his extraordinary abilities might remove a particularly stubborn stain from the deck.

Enel looked from her to me, then down at the brush in his hand. "You..."

I smiled innocently. "Something wrong?"

"You've been manipulating me."

Robin tilted her head. "Have we?"

"YOU HAVE!"

"That's a rather serious accusation," I remarked.

He pointed the brush at me. "You deliberately appeal to my superiority whenever you wish me to perform some menial task!"

I gasped. "Enel! Are you suggesting we've been exploiting your divine generosity?"

"YOU INSOLENT..."

"KAH-RA-RA-RA!"

He threw the brush at my head which I caught it, Robin laughed, and he stormed toward the awning, announcing he'd never participate in another chore. The next morning, he was back repairing a lantern. Apparently, the workmanship offended him.

Weaponised incompetence baby, weaponised incompetence.

Beneath the arguments and threats of divine punishment, Enel was settling in. He spent mornings examining the surrounding waters with Mantra and afternoons studying the documents or working on some contraption he'd decided needed improvement. He remained an arrogant bastard, obviously, but occasionally he performed tasks without being asked.

The first time, I nearly celebrated. A rope had come loose overnight, and he'd secured it before I woke. When I thanked him, he told me that letting my primitive vessel deteriorate would inconvenience his ambitions. Very convincing explanation.

Robin's interest deepened once they began discussing Birka's technical records. Enel might've been a homicidal narcissist with a deeply concerning understanding of interpersonal relationships, but he was intelligent. Especially when it came to engineering.

One afternoon, I found them examining an ancient mechanism. Circular components connected through channels that Robin thought transferred energy, although he disagreed with part of her interpretation.

"These arrangements would be inefficient if used merely to distribute electricity," he explained. "The structure suggests energy could be accumulated before release."

Robin leaned closer. "Stored?"

"Precisely."

I wandered over with a piece of bread. "Like a capacitor?"

They both turned toward me. 

"What did you call it?" Robin asked.

I swallowed. "A capacitor."

Enel narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

"It's a device that stores electrical energy. Usually you've got conductive surfaces separated by some insulating material, and..."

Robin reached for her notebook while he watched me considerably more closely.

"Continue."

I scratched my cheek. "It's not complicated in principle. The difficult part is actually making something reliable."

I explained what little I remembered about circuits and energy storage, which was considerably less than I'd have liked. I'd never been an electrical engineer but I did pay attention in physics class.

I knew roughly how capacitors worked and that sticking your fingers into the wrong part of a circuit was an excellent way to become a cautionary tale. Could I construct a modern electrical system from scratch? Fuck no. Give me a powerful processor, and I'd probably spend the afternoon wondering which end faced upward.

Still, he seemed intrigued. "Such concepts are known among your people?"

"Some of them."

"Yet your vessels rely upon wind, your weapons upon gunpowder, and your civilisation remains dependent on primitive mechanical arrangements."

I shrugged. "Technology develops unevenly I guess."

"Then where did you acquire this knowledge?"

Ah, here we go. "Uhh…Reading."

"Reading what?"

"Books."

His eyes narrowed. "What books?"

"Educational ones."

Enel's eye twitched. "You deliberately evade my questions and your knowledge does not resemble that of an ordinary Blue Sea inhabitant thus far."

"Well, I'm hardly ordinary, am I?"

He stared at me. I smiled. Eventually, Robin began laughing, and he turned toward her.

"You find this amusing?"

"I'm afraid so. I've been asking him similar questions since Alabasta."

"AND YOU TOLERATE HIS ANSWERS!?"

"Occasionally, he tells me something useful."

"Very occasionally," I added helpfully.

She nodded. "Very occasionally."

Robin searched for historical context, comparing symbols and asking what the machinery revealed about its makers. Enel cared about how it worked. I was somewhere in between, occasionally offering suggestions based on technology I remembered from Earth.

We made a productive research group, although he still threatened to electrocute me at least twice a day. Murdoch, meanwhile, decided that sleeping on the former God's cushions was the greatest achievement of his short, criminal life. Honestly, I couldn't blame him. They were very comfortable cushions.

…

Our first proper training session had taken place on an uninhabited island about twelve days after leaving Skypiea. We'd spotted it shortly after breakfast, a small stretch of rocky terrain surrounded by shallow reefs. Nothing particularly remarkable grew there, and Robin's charts suggested that the surrounding currents made it unsuitable for regular shipping. Perfect.

I anchored the Vesper in a sheltered inlet while Robin prepared lunch and Enel complained about wasting valuable time. Before joining him, I left my new coat in the cabin. I'd only just paid for the fucking thing.

"Mate, you agreed to train with me."

"I agreed to accompany you while investigating Fairy Vearth."

"And improve our strength through regular sparring."

He scoffed. "Our previous confrontation was decided through an unnatural advantage possessed by your Devil Fruit."

I slowly turned toward him. "Enel."

"What?"

"You're made of fucking lightning."

He folded his arms. "Divine lightning."

"FROM A DEVIL FRUIT!"

"YOU..."

"KAH-RA-RA! Come on!"

Eventually, he accepted the challenge, although I suspected he'd been waiting for an opportunity to settle the score since the moment he recovered consciousness. Robin accompanied us to the shore, carrying a notebook.

"Try not to destroy the entire island," she requested.

"No promises!"

"Kai."

"Fine. Minimal destruction."

"How reassuring."

Enel floated several metres above the ground, electricity dancing along his shoulders and his golden staff resting loosely in one hand. He wore the smug expression of someone who'd already decided how the fight would end. I grinned. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Our first exchange lasted approximately three seconds. Enel disappeared in a flash of lightning, reappeared behind me and struck the back of my head with his staff. I stumbled forward, then laughed.

"Good start!"

He frowned. "Are you mocking me?"

"Not yet!"

The following minutes were considerably more productive. Enel's speed remained ridiculous, and although my adaptations made his lightning far less effective than during our original battle, the bastard could still hit hard when he concentrated enough power behind his attacks. The difference was that I could focus on something other than surviving electrocution. Specifically, my hybrid form.

Pale muscle spread across my shoulders, bones shifting beneath the skin as my arms and legs increased in size. The transformation came far more easily than it had during our fight, although maintaining the different proportions still required some concentration. My right forearm thickened, familiar wrappings forming as the Sword of Extermination extended along its length, then my hair withdrew. The segmented tail emerged from the back of my head, falling behind my shoulders with enough weight that I had to adjust my stance.

Ahhhh, there we go. I rolled my shoulders and grinned at Enel. "Round two, Winnie!"

Naturally, he responded with an enormous discharge of lightning. It struck my chest and spread across my transformed body before dissipating into the ground, hurting nowhere near enough to stop me.

I cracked my neck. "That all?"

His expression soured. "Yahahaha! Your arrogance remains astounding."

"Learned from the best!"

He came at me again, and this time I met him. What followed was a considerably more satisfying fight than our original confrontation, primarily because neither of us had to spend twenty minutes discovering whether the other could survive their abilities. Enel moved around the rocky terrain, striking with his staff and using lightning to force me into awkward positions, while I focused on coordinating my transformed anatomy.

That turned out to be more difficult than expected. My enlarged arms were wonderful for punching things, but controlling my altered centre of gravity at full speed required considerably more practice. And the tail? Fucking hell. I loved it, but a poorly timed movement could throw off my balance. At one point, I tried to turn sharply while accelerating toward Enel, only for the segmented appendage to swing farther than intended. My footing slipped, he struck my jaw, and I went through a rock.

Robin made a note from her safe vantage point. I pushed myself out of the rubble and 

She smiled while Enel laughed. Assholes, both of them.

Still, progress came quickly. After another hour, my movements were smoother; I was adjusting my stance before accelerating and using the tail's weight to help stabilise sudden turns. The Sword of Extermination required more precision. I'd manifested it enough times to understand its basic handling, but coordinating it with my enlarged arm against someone as fast as Enel was another matter.

Fortunately, he was an excellent teacher, although he wouldn't have appreciated hearing it phrased that way. He struck me whenever I left an opening. Very educational. Eventually, I caught his staff briefly between my blade and forearm, forcing him to wrench it free and dissolve into lightning before I could land a proper hit. He reappeared several metres away, looking irritated.

I grinned. "There we go!"

"Hmph. A crude improvement."

"Thank you!"

"That was not praise."

"I'll take it anyway."

He began experimenting with his own techniques after that. Ordinary lightning wasn't accomplishing much, and his Mantra continued struggling whenever he concentrated on my intentions. Instead of simply increasing the voltage, he attacked from unexpected directions, used his staff to create openings and sent electrical discharges through the ground to interfere with my footing. At one point, he heated part of the golden staff until it softened, reshaping it into a broader weapon before striking my shoulder.

I laughed. "OH, THAT'S FUCKING CLEVER!"

He smiled smugly. "Naturally."

"No, seriously! Do more of that!"

His smile vanished. "You dare issue commands to God?"

"I'm encouraging you!"

"YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT IS UNNECESSARY!"

But he continued, which was the important part. By the time Robin called us back for lunch, we'd turned a respectable section of the island into rubble. Not the entire island, though. 

Progress!

…

The training became a regular occurrence after that. Whenever we found a suitable stretch of uninhabited land, Enel and I spent several hours trying to beat each other into geological features while Robin explored the area or observed our sessions. Sometimes she joined us with specific questions about my transformations. Those were my favourite days, particularly because she'd developed a rather fascinating interest in my anatomy.

One afternoon, while I was examining the altered muscles along my forearm, she approached with her notebook. "May I?"

I glanced down at her hand. Oh? "Why, Robin. How forward."

She raised an eyebrow. "I was asking whether I could examine your arm."

"I know. I just appreciate consent."

She smiled and placed her fingers against the pale muscle. My hybrid form retained enough of my human anatomy that I could still recognise the different muscle groups, although their size and arrangement had changed considerably. Robin examined where the Sword of Extermination emerged, tracing the transition between ordinary tissue and the dense structures supporting the blade.

"Remarkable," she murmured. "The weapon appears integrated into the musculature rather than simply extending from the skin."

"Yep. It's part of me."

"And you can withdraw it without damaging the surrounding tissue?"

"Watch."

I allowed the blade to retract. Its wrappings disappeared as the altered muscle shifted beneath her hand, gradually returning toward its ordinary shape.

Robin leaned closer. "Fascinating."

I grinned. "You're welcome."

She laughed quietly, her fingers lingering against my forearm. "Do you experience any discomfort during the transformation?"

"Not much anymore. It used to feel pretty weird, especially when I changed several parts at once. Now it's mostly the coordination that gives me trouble."

She nodded. "Perhaps the changes are becoming more natural as your body grows accustomed to the hybrid form."

"That's my theory too."

"Then we should continue observing how the different structures interact."

"Robin, my dear, you can observe my magnificent body whenever you like."

She smiled. "How generous."

"Are you two finished?"

I turned to find Enel standing near a damaged boulder, his arms folded. "What's wrong, Nelly?"

"You have spent the better part of an hour discussing muscles."

"Yes?"

He pointed toward Robin. "You're flirting."

I blinked, then slowly spread my arms as Robin smiled. "Dude, research and flirting aren't mutually exclusive things."

Robin laughed, and Enel closed his eyes. "I despise travelling with you."

"KAH-RA-RA! No you don't!"

Poor bastard. He'd only been with us a few weeks. Imagine how he'd feel after several months.

…

One of our more interesting training sessions happened when I finally convinced Enel to help investigate the adaptation I'd developed against his Mantra. We'd experimented during our earlier spars, but there had been too much movement and lightning to isolate what was happening. This time, I wanted to focus on perception, which meant Enel was about to become my personal Observation Haki instructor.

He was absolutely delighted by the idea. By delighted, I mean he threatened to leave the island. Twice.

"Your ability is an unnatural interference with divine perception," he explained irritably. "It is not something that should exist."

"Well, it does. So let's figure out how it works."

He sighed while Robin settled beneath a nearby tree with her notebook. I stood several metres away from him. "Alright. Use Mantra on me."

"I am already using it."

"Excellent! What am I going to do?"

His eyes narrowed. "You're preparing to move your right arm."

I raised my left, grinning as his jaw tightened. "Beautiful."

"Your intention changed."

"Did it?"

He said nothing. Interesting. We continued testing his predictions for a while, and the results were fascinating. He could still perceive my position; my Devil Fruit hadn't made me invisible to Observation Haki, and I couldn't disappear from his awareness simply by wanting to. But whenever he tried to anticipate my intentions, the information became unreliable. Sometimes he predicted movements I never performed, sometimes he reacted to an attack later than expected, and occasionally he appeared to receive nothing useful at all.

Meanwhile, I kept experiencing the sensation I'd first noticed during our journey through the White Sea. It was difficult to describe, neither pain nor quite pressure. More like recognising that someone's attention had settled on me without relying on ordinary sight or hearing.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "That's weird."

Enel folded his arms. "Your entire existence is an offence against the natural order."

"Flattery will get you everywhere."

Robin approached. "Could the adaptation be responding specifically to the act of being observed?"

"That's what I'm thinking." I nodded. "But I can't actually use Mantra myself."

Enel scoffed. "Naturally. Interfering with perception is hardly equivalent to possessing it."

"Exactly!"

He blinked, apparently having expected an argument, and I continued. "I can tell when you're concentrating on me, sometimes. But I can't look around and sense everyone on the island like you can."

Robin considered that. "Then perhaps we should distinguish between the effects produced by your Devil Fruit and abilities you might develop through training."

"That sounds sensible."

Enel looked toward her. "An unexpectedly intelligent suggestion."

She smiled. "How kind."

I folded my arms. "Excuse me? She's always intelligent."

"Unlike her travelling companion."

"RUDE!"

Robin laughed. Enel eventually agreed to explain some of the principles behind Mantra, and his explanation was surprisingly useful once I convinced him to remove the occasional references to divine superiority. Much of the ability centered on awareness and concentration, he described recognising the presence of living things and paying attention to the intentions they revealed, rather than relying exclusively on sight or hearing. His version was ridiculously sophisticated, especially when amplified through his Devil Fruit. Mine? Well, let's just say I had room for improvement.

The first exercise involved closing my eyes and trying to recognise movement without relying on ordinary hearing. Enel moved around me while Robin occasionally changed position, and I got slapped across the back of the head. A lot. Unfortunately, my body was much better at shrugging off impacts than at doing what I wanted.

"You're attempting to compensate for failure through your Devil Fruit," Enel observed after another unsuccessful attempt.

I rubbed my head. "That's literally what it does."

"Then stop depending upon it."

I frowned, and he continued. "You wait until something approaches, then allow your body to respond. You're attempting to recognise danger only after it becomes apparent."

"Right..."

"Your awareness must extend beyond the moment of impact."

I considered that, then closed my eyes again. Instead of concentrating on whether I could feel his Mantra, I paid attention to everything else: the wind through the trees, Robin shifting her weight against the rock, the scrape of his staff against the ground and the faint movement of something small nearby.

I breathed slowly. When Enel moved, I turned before he struck, and his staff passed my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I found he'd stopped. Robin raised an eyebrow, and I grinned.

"Did you see that!?"

"You avoided one strike," Enel replied.

"WITHOUT GETTING HIT!"

"An extraordinary achievement for a child."

"KAH-RA-RA! LOOK AT YOU, TEACHING ME THINGS!"

His expression darkened. "I am not your instructor."

"Sensei!" I bowed.

"DO NOT ADDRESS ME AS SUCH!"

"MASTER ENEL!"

"YOU INSOLENT..."

Robin burst out laughing. 

To be clear, I'd avoided one strike by paying more attention to my surroundings, and I couldn't be certain how much of that success came from actual awareness rather than my existing adaptations. Still, it was actual progress, and the fact that Enel had offered useful advice was perhaps the most surprising development of the afternoon.

He appeared rather pleased with himself afterwards, although he denied it whenever I brought it up. Naturally, I brought it up constantly.

By the end of the month, something had changed between us. We still argued frequently, and Enel remained arrogant, insufferable and completely convinced of his own divinity, but our disagreements had become familiar. He no longer reacted to every insult as though I were challenging the fundamental structure of the universe, although calling him Winnie remained an excellent way to produce lightning.

Occasionally, while discussing training or ancient technology, he'd even ask what I thought. Voluntarily. The first time it happened, I nearly fell out of my chair. I decided not to make a big deal out of it, for once.

…

Robin was changing too. I'd noticed it gradually, somewhere between our time on Skypiea and the weeks we'd spent travelling with Enel. Nothing particularly dramatic; she still spent enormous amounts of time reading, researching and making observations so morbid that I had to wonder whether she'd considered a career in horror literature, but she'd become considerably more comfortable around me.

Sometimes she'd bring her books onto the deck and settle beside me while I watched the sea. Other afternoons, she'd join me for lunch without waiting for an invitation, or ask whether I wanted to accompany her somewhere interesting. 

Occasionally, she'd simply sit close enough that our shoulders touched.

Now, I'm a confident man. An exceptionally confident man, actually. Beautiful face, magnificent physique, outstanding personality, extraordinary powers. The complete package, if I do say so myself. But Nico Robin possessed an extraordinary talent for making my brain stop functioning, which was embarrassing.

As you might've of guess, I have a type.

I'd noticed her becoming more affectionate, obviously. I wasn't completely oblivious; I'm not some dense anime protagonist, but determining whether she was flirting or enjoying the opportunity to torment me had become increasingly difficult, and Robin was very good at tormenting me.

One evening, while I was reading an old record from a forgotten kingdom, she settled beside me and rested her head against my shoulder. I stopped turning the page. She continued reading her own book, perfectly calm, as though she hadn't just committed an act of psychological warfare against my entire nervous system.

I glanced down. "You comfortable?"

"Very."

"Good," I muttered, returning my attention to the book, reading the same paragraph three times and understanding absolutely none of it. Fucking hell.

Naturally, Robin noticed. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope." I quickly answered.

"You haven't turned that page for quite some time."

"I'm appreciating the author's…prose," I mumbled.

She glanced toward the book. "Kai, that's an agricultural census."

"A beautifully written agricultural census," I added.

Her shoulders shook against mine, and I sighed. "You're enjoying this."

"Yeah~." She smiled.

Cruel woman. Absolutely cruel. Still, I wasn't really complaining. I liked having her around, more than I'd expected. I'd spent years imagining the adventures I'd have in this world, the opponents I'd fight and the ridiculous abilities I might develop. 

Travelling alongside someone like Robin had always sounded wonderful in theory, but sitting beside her while she read, listening to her explain some obscure discovery and watching her laugh whenever I said something particularly stupid? 

Yeah, that was something else entirely, and it was beginning to matter a great deal to me.

The conversation finally happened on a particularly quiet evening, several weeks after we'd left Skypiea. The Vesper was sailing through calm waters beneath a clear sky. We'd passed a small island that afternoon, and Robin had spent several hours comparing our latest navigational charts with information recovered from the Marine transport we'd intercepted before Lulusia.

Enel had retired beneath his awning after announcing that the intellectual limitations of the Blue Sea had exhausted his patience, while Murdoch was asleep somewhere among the cushions he'd stolen. That left me alone on deck, where I'd been sitting near the bow for perhaps twenty minutes when footsteps approached.

"Mind if I join you?"

Robin stood near the cabin entrance, carrying two cups. I turned toward her. "Why, my dear Robin. I'd be honoured."

She smiled and approached, handing me one before settling beside me. Tea. Excellent. We sat quietly for a while, watching the moonlight move across the water. The Vesper rocked gently beneath us, her sails catching enough wind to maintain a comfortable pace without constant adjustments. For once, nobody was screaming, nobody was trying to kill us, and nothing was exploding. Beautiful.

"Enjoying yourself?" Robin asked eventually.

"Immensely. You?"

She considered the question. "More than I expected. I must admit, when we first left Alabasta, I wasn't entirely certain what travelling with you would be like."

I grinned. "Magnificent?"

"Unpredictable."

"Same thing." I smiled.

She laughed quietly. "I suppose it has been quite an adventure."

"Quite an adventure? Robin, we robbed a Marine transport, discovered ancient ruins, manufactured a volcanic eruption, travelled to an island in the sky and overthrew a dictator."

"Yes, well. When you list everything together, it does sound rather excessive."

"That's what makes it wonderful!"

She smiled into her cup. "And now we've acquired another travelling companion."

"Ah, Winnie. Beautiful man."

"He's threatened to kill you eleven times today."

"Only eleven? He's mellowing out!"

Robin laughed, and I found myself smiling along with her. After a while, she lowered her cup. "I suppose what surprises me most is how comfortable I've become."

I glanced toward her, but she continued watching the water. "I've spent most of my life moving between places. Organisations, people who needed something from me." Her voice remained calm, although she'd lost the teasing note. "Some arrangements lasted longer than others, but I rarely expected any of them to become…permanent."

I didn't interrupt. I knew enough about her past to understand what she meant: Ohara, the bounty placed on her head as a child, years spent running from people who wanted her dead, captured or useful. 

Always having to calculate whether someone might betray her when the opportunity arose. I'd known those things before we met, but knowing them and hearing her speak about them were different matters.

She turned the cup slowly between her fingers. "I became accustomed to keeping certain things to myself. My interests and plans, sometimes even ordinary thoughts. It was simply easier."

"It sounds…exhausting." 

"It can be." She smiled faintly. "But recently, I've found myself doing things without considering whether I should."

"Like helping a lunatic manufacture volcanic eruptions?"

She chuckled softly, "Amongst other things, yes.".

I grinned. "That was a good idea."

"It was an extraordinarily dangerous idea."

"Successful, though." I said taking a sip of my tea.

We laughed together, and she shifted slightly closer. "I hadn't expected to enjoy travelling with someone quite this much," she admitted.

…Oh.I looked toward her. "Is that a…compliment?"

"That depends."

"On?"

"Whether you intend to behave yourself."

I considered that. "Define ' behave '."

She laughed again. "Then perhaps it isn't."

I took a sip, partly because it was excellent tea and partly because I needed something to occupy my mouth before I said something incredibly stupid. Which, unfortunately, was always a possibility.

"You know," I said after a moment, "I'm really glad you came with me."

Her expression softened. "Are you?"

"Yeah."

She tilted her head. "Wouldn't you be enjoying yourself just as much without me?"

I opened my mouth, the first response that came to mind naturally being something deeply inappropriate. Then I considered the question properly. "Hmm. Well, for starters, I'd probably be dead."

She raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

"At least twice. Maybe three times. Depends how we're counting the volcano."

"An important distinction."

"And I'd have considerably fewer books, which would be tragic. Also, nobody else seems particularly interested in helping me conduct extremely questionable experiments."

"I seem to recall objecting to most of them."

"Yes, but you object intelligently. That's an important distinction."

She smiled, and I paused, turning my cup between my hands. "Seriously, though."

Robin waited, and for once, I didn't immediately follow the thought with another joke. "I've met plenty of people since coming out here. Some good, some terrible, some who were interesting for about five minutes before they tried stabbing me."

"An unfortunate recurring problem."

"Occupational hazard." I shrugged and glanced toward the documents visible through the cabin doorway. "But I've never really had someone who enjoys the same things I do. Not entirely, anyway. I love this world, Robin. There's so much out there that I wanna see. Places, people, abilities, history, all of it. And whenever I find something interesting, I want to figure out how it works. Sometimes that involves getting punched or on occasion, electrocuted."

She laughed softly as I continued. "But you get it. You see some ancient inscription nobody's been able to understand for centuries, and suddenly you're happier than I've ever seen you. You wanna know what happened, who made it, why it matters. You don't just shrug and walk away." Robin watched me carefully. "And even when I do something ridiculous, you don't treat me like some monster because of what my Devil Fruit can do."

She raised an eyebrow. "Kai, I have occasionally considered you a monster."

I gasped. "Robin!"

"Particularly when you begin explaining your latest experiments."

"Those are entirely justified!"

"You once suggested testing whether your body could adapt to being crushed beneath an enormous quantity of stone."

"FOR SCIENCE!"

She laughed, leaning against my shoulder, and I smiled as the conversation settled again. After a while, she spoke.

"I'm glad I came with you too."

I turned slightly toward her. She was watching the sea, her fingers resting against my forearm.

"I don't think I've ever had quite this much freedom to pursue my interests," she admitted. "Or someone who seems genuinely excited whenever I discover something."

"Of course I'm excited. You're brilliant."

Her fingers stopped moving, and I continued before I could reconsider. "Seriously. I might know a few things about this world, but half the stuff we've found recently would've gone straight over my head without you."

"Only half?"

"Alright, most of it. Don't get greedy."

She chuckled. We set our cups aside, and I turned my hand, allowing her fingers to settle into my palm. "And I enjoy your company. A lot."

Robin looked toward me, and I could feel my usual confidence wavering.

"It's actually getting a little ridiculous," I admitted. "I look forward to spending time with you even when we're not doing anything particularly interesting."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Sitting around reading, talking, having dinner. Apparently I've developed an appreciation for ordinary domestic activities."

"How unfortunate."

"Devastating. Next thing you know, I'll be asking whether you've eaten properly and complaining when you stay up too late."

She smiled. "You already do those things."

"Fuck!" I mumbled.

Robin laughed, squeezing my hand, then grew quieter. "Kai."

"Mm?"

"I've grown rather fond of you to."

Ohhhhh. 

Well, that's certainly one way to make a man's brain stop working. I blinked while she watched me with that familiar, patient smile. And I, Kai Voss, defeater of Gods, survivor of Garp's fists and proud owner of one of the most ridiculous Devil Fruits in existence, found myself temporarily incapable of producing a coherent sentence. Tragic. Absolutely fucking tragic.

Eventually, I cleared my throat. "Well."

She smiled wider. "Well?"

"That's... good."

"Is it?"

"Very good, actually."

She laughed softly, and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Fuck me, you're enjoying this."

"Perhaps a little." she laughed again.

"Robin, I'm trying to navigate an emotionally vulnerable moment here."

"You're doing wonderfully."

"Liar." I muttered. She chuckled, and I took a breath. "Look, I'm not exactly subtle about these things, but..."

Her smile softened. "I've noticed."

"Of course you have."

"You're rather obvious."

"Can I finish?"

"Please."

I shook my head, smiling despite myself. "I like you, Robin. More than I expected to, if I'm being completely serious. Somewhere between Alabasta and Skypiea, you went from being someone I really wanted to travel with to..." I paused, and she waited. Fuck, why was this so difficult? "To being someone I don't particularly want to imagine travelling without."

Her teasing expression faded. I squeezed her hand and for several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then Robin shifted closer. "That's rather… sweet, Kai."

She smiled and raised her free hand to my cheek. Oh? I stopped smiling quite so smugly as Robin leaned toward me and…

Kissed me.

Now, I've experienced some truly remarkable things in this world. I've survived injuries that should've killed me, developed abilities that would make most Devil Fruit users question reality and fought opponents who could destroy enormous sections of the surrounding landscape. None of those experiences proved particularly useful in preparing me for Nico Robin kissing me.

Her lips were warm, her hand resting gently against my cheek as she closed the remaining distance between us. For a moment, I was too surprised to do much of anything. Then I kissed her back. It was gentle, comfortable and considerably more wonderful than any of the ridiculous scenarios my imagination had occasionally supplied.

When she drew away, she remained close enough that I could feel her breath against my face. "You're unusually quiet."

I blinked, then slowly grinned. "Sorry. Just making sure that actually happened."

She laughed. "Would you like confirmation?"

"Oh, absolutely."

I leaned toward her this time, and she met me halfway. The second kiss lasted longer. Her fingers moved from my cheek to the back of my neck, and I settled one arm around her waist, drawing her closer. She smiled against my lips before returning the kiss, and for several wonderful moments, I completely forgot about ancient history, Devil Fruits and the fact that we were travelling toward a collection of mysteries that might eventually involve the moon.

When we separated, Robin rested her forehead against mine, and I smiled. "Well."

"Well," she repeated.

"That was excellent."

She laughed quietly. "Such a romantic."

"I have my moments."

She settled against my shoulder again, her hand remaining in mine. Neither of us seemed interested in moving, and for once, I didn't feel the need to say anything else. We stayed there for a long while, watching the moonlight move across the water as the Vesper carried us onward. Eventually, she shifted until her head rested against my chest, and I wrapped an arm around her. She sighed contentedly, and I found myself smiling so much my face began to hurt.

Fuck, I was really falling for this woman, wasn't I? Well, could be worse…

I could've fallen for Enel.

…

Our historical investigation received its next major breakthrough approximately a week later. Robin had been comparing the documents recovered from Lulusia and Skypiea with the shipment records we'd acquired during our earlier encounter with the Marines. Most concerned with ancient migrations, religious traditions, and technological developments, although references to Makora continued to appear throughout the collection. Nothing particularly decisive, until she noticed something.

"Kai, could you come here?"

I was helping Enel repair part of the Vesper's lantern system, a deeply educational process involving him repeatedly insulting the original design. "Coming!"

Inside the cabin, Robin was surrounded by documents. Again. Several cargo manifests sat beside the records from the Marine transport, their numbers and classification marks accompanied by notes she'd copied from the observatory's restricted catalogue.

"Found something interesting?" I asked, pulling up a chair beside her.

"Possibly. Do you remember the collection confiscated from the observatory before we travelled to Lulusia?"

"Of course. Excellent robbery. Very professional."

"Well, I've been comparing the original catalogue with the cargo records from the transport." She placed another document beside the manifest. "The shipment numbers don't agree."

I frowned. "How badly?"

"According to the observatory, seven containers were prepared for confiscation. However, only five appear in the final transport inventory."

I leaned closer. "Missing cargo? Could've been lost."

"That was my initial assumption, but look here." She indicated a smaller notation beneath one entry. "These two containers were removed from the original collection before the remaining material reached the vessel we intercepted."

I scratched my chin. "Another shipment?"

"Possibly. Although the documentation suggests they were transferred under a separate administrative classification."

Ohhhhh, interesting. "And what's inside?"

"That's the problem." She turned another page. "The original catalogue describes both containers as containing historical material recovered from older collections. One appears associated with traditions concerning celestial migrations."

I slowly began smiling. "And the other?"

She glanced toward me. "References to a warrior whose descriptions resemble the Makora accounts."

Where'd they send them?"

"I haven't established that yet. The relevant transfer information was removed from the records available to the observatory."

I leaned back. "So we need the original shipping paperwork."

"Yes. And I believe I've identified where it might be stored."

She unfolded a chart, resting her finger on an island along a major Government supply route. "Vell Harbour. It contains a Marine-controlled administrative facility responsible for coordinating shipments through this region."

I considered the location. "Think they've still got the records?"

"If the transfers were processed through their office, there should be copies of the corresponding documentation. Cargo manifests, authorisation numbers, perhaps even the final destination."

I grinned. "Sounds like we're going shopping."

Robin smiled. "Without paying?"

"Naturally!"

Enel entered the cabin behind us. "What are you discussing?"

I turned toward him. "Crime."

He raised an eyebrow. Robin explained the discovery while he examined the documents, his interest increasing when she mentioned the ancient sky civilisations.

"Then we shall retrieve these records," he declared.

"Excellent!" I clapped my hands. "Our first proper group adventure!"

Enel scoffed. "Surely destroying this Marine facility would be the simplest solution."

Robin slowly turned toward him. "Enel."

"What?"

"We require the documents inside."

"Then destroy everything else."

I grinned. "See? That's the kind of initiative I like!"

She closed her eyes. "Neither of you is destroying an entire administrative facility."

"Define 'entire'."

"Kai."

"Fine!"

Enel looked deeply offended by the restriction, but we eventually settled on a simple, beautiful plan involving all three of us contributing something useful. I couldn't fucking wait.

…

Vell Harbour appeared on the horizon two days later. The island itself was nothing particularly spectacular, consisting of a sizeable port settlement surrounded by wooded hills and several smaller coastal villages. Merchant ships occupied much of the harbour, while a collection of Marine vessels sat alongside a fortified dock near the eastern waterfront. Our target stood behind that dock: a large administrative complex containing shipping offices, storage buildings and what appeared to be a central records archive.

Unfortunately, the surrounding area was heavily guarded. Fortunately, I had two travelling companions with extremely convenient abilities.

Robin examined the facility through our telescope. "Several entrances. The main building connects to the warehouses through an enclosed passage."

Enel stood beside her with his eyes closed. "Thirty-seven Marines within the immediate compound. Another two dozen near the eastern docks."

I raised an eyebrow. "Thirty-seven? That's specific."

"Naturally."

"Anyone interesting?"

"Mostly insignificant insects."

"Helpful."

Robin lowered the telescope. "Can you distinguish whether anyone is inside the records office?"

Enel considered that. "Several individuals occupy the central building. Most remain stationary."

"Excellent." She unfolded the rough plan she'd prepared from what we'd observed. "I'll enter through the western service passage and locate the transfer records. Enel, your Mantra should allow you to monitor the surrounding guards."

He folded his arms. "And what shall our magnificent captain do?"

I gasped. "Enel! You acknowledge my leadership!"

"I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!"

Robin smiled. "Kai will handle physical security."

"Finally. A job suited to my talents."

She regarded me carefully. "Preferably without announcing our presence to the entire island."

"Of course."

"And avoid damaging the archives."

"Naturally."

"And the Vesper is remaining safely away from the Marine docks."

"Robin, my dear, you wound me."

"Experience has made me cautious."

Fair. We waited until evening before approaching. I'd considered simply walking through the front entrance and asking where they kept their classified historical records, but Robin insisted that announcing our intentions to the Marines would be counterproductive. Personally, I thought she lacked faith in my diplomatic abilities. Still, her plan was better.

We secured the Vesper in a sheltered inlet away from the main harbour and approached the administrative compound through the surrounding woodland. Robin handled the initial reconnaissance, using her Devil Fruit to observe the guards and investigate the corridors

beyond the outer wall, while Enel monitored their positions through Mantra. I waited near the service entrance, very patiently, for approximately three minutes. Then I started getting bored.

"How much longer?" I whispered.

Robin, crouched beside me, continued concentrating. "Another moment."

"That's what you said earlier."

"Because you asked earlier."

Enel stood several metres away, leaning against his staff. "Such elaborate preparations for a handful of ordinary soldiers."

I shrugged. "Consider it practice."

He scoffed, but Robin eventually opened her eyes. "There's a storage room beyond this entrance. Two guards patrol the adjacent corridor, but there's a gap between their rounds."

"Lovely."

She gestured toward the door, and I approached, examined the lock and carefully removed the entire mechanism from the surrounding timber. Enel stared as I placed it on the ground.

"Stealth."

Robin sighed, but she was smiling. We slipped inside, and the first portion of the operation went remarkably smoothly. She guided us through the interior using hands and eyes manifested along the walls, checking adjoining rooms before we entered. Enel quietly identified approaching personnel, giving us enough warning to avoid several patrols without confrontation. I handled the occasional locked door, very gently. Only one suffered meaningful structural damage. Personal record.

Within fifteen minutes, we'd reached the corridor connecting the storage building to the central administrative office. Robin paused beside a narrow doorway.

"The records should be through here."

Enel closed his eyes. "Three individuals inside."

"Armed?" I asked.

Robin checked inside with her ability. "One has a rifle. The others are seated. I can restrain them without causing unnecessary noise."

"Wonderful."

She crossed her arms. "Seis Fleur."

Several arms emerged inside the room. A chair scraped, someone made a strangled noise, then everything went quiet. Robin opened the door to reveal three Marines unconscious or restrained around a table, their weapons safely removed from reach.

I grinned. "Beautiful work."

"Thank you."

Enel examined the room with contempt. "Pathetic."

"Yes, yes. Everyone's pathetic. Come on."

We entered the records office. Rows of cabinets occupied the walls, each labelled with shipping codes, dates and administrative classifications. Several larger shelves contained bound ledgers, while locked compartments occupied the rear section. Robin immediately began examining the filing system, and I looked around.

"Christ. Imagine working here."

"Some people enjoy administrative work," she remarked.

"Those people need hobbies."

Enel examined the surrounding cabinets. "Your Government preserves extraordinary quantities of meaningless information."

"Oh, mate, you have no idea."

Robin soon identified the relevant section and began comparing the shipment numbers from our earlier documents. Enel moved toward the corridor, maintaining his surveillance, while I remained near the entrance. Everything was going wonderfully.

Then the alarms started. Ah. Of course.

A loud metallic bell rang somewhere beyond the building, followed by the sound of boots moving across the courtyard. Robin stopped turning pages.

"That's unfortunate."

Enel opened his eyes. "A senior officer has entered the compound."

I frowned. "How senior?"

"Enough that the surrounding insects appear to consider him important."

"Helpful."

Then a voice sounded outside the room. "LOCK DOWN THE ARCHIVE!"

Metal shutters slammed across the windows. Heavy barriers descended over the adjoining passages, and a series of mechanical locks engaged around the corridor. I glanced toward Robin, who looked from the doorway to me, and grinned.

"Well."

"Kai."

"Looks like we're doing this the fun way."

The main entrance exploded inward, and for once, it wasn't because I'd broken it. Someone had apparently decided that using a cannon indoors was a reasonable security procedure. The blast tore through the doorway, filling the room with splinters and smoke. I stepped in front of Robin, turning my back to the debris before it could reach her. Several pieces bounced harmlessly off my shoulders.

I sighed. "Honestly, these people have no respect for paperwork."

Outside, Marines were gathering behind overturned tables and hastily assembled barricades. Their commander stood near the centre of the corridor, wearing a dark coat over his uniform and carrying a rather unpleasant-looking weapon: a reinforced launcher with a weighted net. Oh? That looked suspicious.

"THE BRANCHBREAKER!" someone shouted, and several rifles immediately swung toward me. Ah, fame. What a wonderful thing.

I stepped through the ruined doorway. "Gentlemen! Lovely evening!"

They fired. Several holes opened in my shirt as bullets struck my chest and shoulders, flattening against skin that had grown considerably less interested in being penetrated by ordinary ammunition. A few rolled across the floor, and nobody seemed particularly enthusiastic about the result.

I smiled. "Now, before we start making poor decisions, I'd like to inform you that I'm here exclusively for educational purpo–."

Their commander raised his launcher. "Capture him!"

The net fired, and the moment it struck my shoulders, I understood why he'd been so confident. Seastone. Oh, you motherfucker. Weakness spread through my upper body as the weighted edges tightened around me, dragging the net against my arms. I stumbled, and several Marines cheered.

"WE'VE GOT HIM!"

"THE SEASTONE'S WORKING!"

I sighed. Of course they had fucking seastone. Why wouldn't they? Unfortunately for them, my body had experienced this particular problem before. I planted one foot against the floor and began pulling against the restraints. The weakness remained unpleasant, and the net had caught enough of my upper body to make things considerably more difficult than expected. Still, my limbs gradually steadied as the familiar compensating response developed.

The commander's confidence wavered. "Increase the pressure!"

"How exactly?" one Marine asked.

"JUST DO IT!"

I grinned. "Now, now. Let's all be reasonable."

The net tightened as several Marines hauled on the attached ropes. I pulled back, and their boots began sliding across the floor. Ah. Beautiful.

Then blue-white electricity flashed beside the commander, and Enel appeared directly behind him with his golden staff resting against one shoulder.

"Such irritating creatures."

The commander turned too late. Enel struck him with the staff, sending a concentrated discharge through the weapon. The officer convulsed and collapsed against the wall, his launcher falling from his hands. Several nearby Marines staggered backwards. One dropped his rifle; another simply stared at the man who'd materialised beside their commanding officer.

Enel examined the fallen commander with contempt. "Pathetic."

I laughed. "KAH-RA-RA! THANKS, MATE!"

He turned sharply. "I was not assisting you!"

"Oh?"

"That insect was irritating me."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Naturally. Very convincing."

His eye twitched. Then the surrounding Marines remembered they were supposed to be fighting us, and a few raised their rifles. Enel glanced toward them, electricity crackling across his shoulders, and they immediately reconsidered. Smart lads.

I pulled the net free and threw it aside, shaking the lingering weakness from my arms as my strength continued recovering. Then I stretched. "Alright, who's next?"

Nobody volunteered. Understandable. Unfortunately, reinforcements were already approaching from the adjoining building, and Enel heard them first.

"More insects."

"How many?"

"Approximately forty."

I grinned. "Oh, lovely!"

"Kai, Enel," Robin called from behind us. "I need a little more time."

I turned to find her near the rear cabinets, several additional arms sorting through documents while others secured the papers she'd already identified. "Take your time, dear!"

Enel scoffed. "I shall deal with the reinforcements."

"Excellent! I'll handle the ones already here!"

"Do not interfere with my attacks."

"Wouldn't ream of it!"

He disappeared, and a moment later, lightning illuminated the far end of the corridor. The approaching Marines screamed, weapons clattering against the floor amid the sound of bodies hitting walls and furniture. I grinned. God, having Enel around was convenient.

Meanwhile, our remaining opponents decided that attempting to contain me within the archive was preferable to fighting me directly. Reasonable strategy, honestly. The problem was that I didn't particularly enjoy being contained. When a group of Marines attempted to lower another security barrier between me and the records room, I reached upward, allowing my right arm to expand as pale muscle spread along my shoulder.

My hand grew large enough to catch the descending metal gate. The mechanism groaned, then stopped, and the Marines operating it stared.

I smiled. "Gentlemen." They began turning the controls harder, but the gate refused to move. "Bit of a problem with your equipment?"

One of them abandoned the mechanism. Smart. The others continued. Less smart. I pulled the barrier free from its overhead supports, carefully folded the metal inward and placed it against the wall. The corridor went very quiet, and I dusted my hands.

"Terrible craftsmanship."

Behind me, Robin continued searching. Several Marines attempted to approach through the adjoining passage, only for arms to bloom along the walls and seize their weapons before they could raise them. One man found himself restrained by his own coat; another was pulled backwards through a doorway he'd been attempting to defend. Robin didn't even look up from her documents. Beautiful woman. Absolutely fucking magnificent.

By the time Enel returned, the corridor was filled with unconscious Marines, broken weapons and several extremely traumatised office workers who'd wisely decided to remain beneath their desks.

I raised a hand. "Welcome back!"

He examined the surrounding damage. "You've made a mess."

"Excuse me? You've electrocuted half the compound!"

"Efficiently."

"Fah! Mine was efficient too!"

Robin emerged from the records room carrying several bundles of documents. "Gentlemen." We turned, and she smiled. "I've found what we need."

"Excellent!"

Enel folded his arms. "Then our business here is concluded."

I glanced toward the approaching reinforcements visible through the far doorway. Several Marines stopped when they saw us, their eyes moving from me to Enel, then toward the unconscious bodies scattered across the corridor. One slowly lowered his rifle, and the others followed.

I smiled. "Evening, lads." Nobody answered. "Lovely facility you've got here. Very educational."

Enel began walking toward the exit. I followed while Robin carefully secured the documents beneath her coat, and none of the remaining Marines attempted to stop us. Wonderful. We reached the outer courtyard without further incident, although several damaged alarm systems continued ringing somewhere behind the administrative building.

Enel glanced toward the sound. "Shall I silence them?"

I considered that, then shook my head. "Nah. Let them enjoy the music."

Robin laughed, and just like that, our first proper group operation was complete. Three travellers, one Government facility, a collection of stolen historical records and approximately eighty Marines having what I imagined would become an extremely unpleasant evening of paperwork. Honestly? I'd call that a success.

...

We returned to the Vesper shortly before midnight. Robin immediately claimed the cabin table, spreading the recovered documents across its surface while Enel and I settled nearby. Murdoch inspected the papers, then attempted to steal one, and I removed it from his beak.

"Absolutely not, you little bastard. These are important."

He squawked indignantly, and Enel scoffed. "For once, I agree with your assessment of the creature."

Progress! Robin continued examining the records while I prepared some tea. It took nearly an hour before she found what she wanted.

"Here."

I immediately approached, Enel joining us a moment later, and Robin placed two documents side by side. "The missing collection was transferred from the original observatory shipment under a restricted World Government classification."

I leaned closer. "Restricted how?"

"There's a separate authorisation code, along with an instruction that the receiving facility should avoid recording the contents in ordinary shipping registers."

I frowned. "That's suspicious."

"Quite." She indicated another section. "According to these records, the material included several items associated with ancient sky civilisations. Mechanical fragments, historical accounts and objects whose original purpose remains unidentified."

Enel leaned closer. "Mechanical fragments? From which civilisation?"

"That isn't specified. However, several descriptions resemble mechanisms mentioned in the surviving records from Birka."

"Show me."

Robin passed him the relevant page. He examined it for several moments before returning his attention to the remaining documents. "These arrangements... Some resemble older mechanisms our scholars preserved in their accounts. But the terminology differs."

"Could they have originated from the same civilisation?" she asked.

"Possibly."

Ohhhhh. Now that was interesting. I leaned against the table. "And the Makora stuff?"

Robin searched through the remaining pages, then indicated a smaller entry near the bottom of a transfer authorisation. "There's a reference here. An unidentified ceremonial object, apparently recovered alongside written accounts describing a warrior associated with an eight-part turning symbol."

I stopped smiling quite so widely. An eight-part turning symbol. Well. Fuck. That sounded familiar.

"Anything else?"

"Only that the object was transferred with the rest of the restricted collection."

I rubbed my chin. "Could be another carving."

"Possibly. Or something associated with the Makora tradition itself."

I glanced toward the wheel mark on my hand. Interesting. Very fucking interesting.

Enel folded his arms. "And where are these objects currently held?"

"That's what I've been trying to establish." Robin turned to the final page, which contained several administrative marks accompanied by a sequence of transport authorisations. She followed them carefully, comparing the numbers with another recovered register, then paused.

"Robin?"

She didn't answer immediately, examining the page again as her expression grew considerably more serious. Oh? That was new.

"What is it?"

She slowly raised her eyes. "I believe we've located the final destination."

I grinned. "Fantastic! Where?"

She hesitated, then answered. "Mary Geoise."

"..."

Bruh.

The Holy Land, seat of the World Government and home of the Celestial Dragons. An enormous collection of palaces and Government institutions, and perhaps one of the most dangerous places in the entire fucking world.

I slowly began smiling, and Enel noticed. "What?"

"Mate."

"What?"

"Have you ever heard of the Celestial Dragons?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Oh, you're gonna love these bastards."

Robin sighed. "Kai."

"What? I'm introducing him to important world history!"

Enel folded his arms. "Then explain."

I leaned against the table. "Alright. So, about eight hundred years ago, twenty kingdoms formed an alliance that eventually became the World Government. Their ruling families, or most of them anyway, established themselves as the World Nobles."

Robin nodded. "The Celestial Dragons consider themselves descendants of the founders of the World Government."

"Which," I continued, "apparently means they believe they're superior to everyone else."

Enel raised an eyebrow. "Naturally."

I grinned. "Oh, it gets better. They live in Mary Geoise, atop the Red Line, surrounded by enough wealth and political authority to make most ordinary kingdoms look poor."

"Hmph."

"And they call themselves gods."

Enel went still, then slowly turned toward me. "Gods?"

"Yep!"

His expression darkened. "These mortals claim divinity?"

"KAH-RA-RA! YES!"

"How absurd!"

Robin and I stared at him, and he looked between us. "What?"

I started laughing. I couldn't help it; the hypocrisy... 

Robin covered her mouth while Enel became increasingly irritated.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME!?"

"ENEL! YOU SPENT SIX YEARS CALLING YOURSELF GOD!"

"BECAUSE I AM GOD!"

"KAH-RA-RA-RA!"

Eventually, Robin managed to regain her composure.

"Whatever they consider themselves, the Celestial Dragons possess extraordinary political influence. Mary Geoise is heavily protected, and obtaining access to restricted Government collections there will be considerably more difficult than infiltrating an ordinary Marine office."

I wiped a tear from my eye. "Yeah. That's true."

She looked toward me. "You're aware of the dangers."

"Of course."

"This isn't a matter of simply entering the city and searching through an archive, especially considering your bounty and the attention you've already attracted from the Marines."

I nodded. "Yep."

Robin studied me for another moment, then sighed. "You're still smiling."

I grinned wider. "Can you blame me?"

She considered that, glancing toward the documents. "I suppose not entirely."

Enel stepped forward. "If these so-called gods possess information concerning the ancient heavens, then we shall retrieve it."

I turned toward him. "Oh?"

"Such knowledge may prove essential to understanding Fairy Vearth."

"Agreed!"

"And I would be interested in observing these mortals who claim divinity."

I laughed. "Mate, I would pay good money to watch you meet a Celestial Dragon."

"Your amusement is irrelevant."

"Sure, Nelly."

Robin closed the final document. "Then we'll need a considerably more thorough plan before approaching Mary Geoise."

I nodded. "Absolutely."

She raised an eyebrow. "An actual plan, Kai."

"Robin, my dear, I am deeply offended that you feel the need to clarify."

"Experience."

"Fah!"

She smiled, and I returned my attention to the documents. Mary Geoise. Holy shit. Now, here's the thing: I knew enough about that place to understand that breaking into it wouldn't be quite as simple as robbing some random Marine facility. There were powerful people living there. Very powerful people. Admirals could be summoned to defend the Celestial Dragons, the Government maintained security forces throughout the Holy Land, and there were certain individuals whose abilities I wasn't particularly interested in testing before I understood what they could do.

Then there was the whole slavery situation. Yeah. That part. I'd known about the Celestial Dragons long before arriving in this world, but actually standing outside one of their palaces would be a considerably different experience. Especially after seeing what people like Arlong and Enel could do to entire populations when they believed nobody had the right to challenge them. Mary Geoise made both of those bastards look small-time.

And somewhere inside that collection of wealth, cruelty and political power might be records describing a warrior whose abilities matched my own. Perhaps even something explaining the origin of Makora. The possibilities were fucking ridiculous.

I glanced toward Robin. She'd already begun arranging the recovered documents into separate bundles, her expression thoughtful as she considered the implications of our discovery. Enel was examining one of the mechanical diagrams again, occasionally muttering about the incompetence of the Blue Sea's supposed rulers. And Murdoch? 

I sighed. "Murdoch." He froze. "Put it back."

The little bastard had finally succeeded in stealing a decorative seal from one of the document bundles. He squawked.

"Don't argue with me."

He flew away. Little shit. Robin laughed, Enel sighed, and I found myself smiling again. 

A little over a month ago, I'd been travelling with one exceptionally intelligent archaeologist and a criminally inclined bird. Now I had a former God aboard, a developing understanding of my hybrid transformation, a new direction for my Observation Haki training and a collection of historical evidence leading us toward one of the most important locations in the entire world.

Oh. And Nico Robin had kissed me. Twice. Hehehe. Yeah. Life was pretty fucking good.

I settled beside her, allowing my hand to rest against hers while she continued examining the documents. Robin glanced up and smiled, then returned to her work without moving away. I grinned, and Enel noticed.

"Must you two continue behaving in such an irritating manner?"

I turned toward him. "What manner?"

He gestured vaguely toward us. "That."

I considered his complaint, then smiled. "Enel, mate, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

Robin chuckled, and he closed his eyes. "I despise this vessel."

"KAH-RA-RA-RA!"

Oh, you poor bastard. You have absolutely no idea. Anyway, there was something important to consider: Mary Geoise, the Holy Land, home of the Celestial Dragons and enough secrets to make the entire world burn if someone started revealing them. I wondered what kind of trouble we'd find there, then glanced around the cabin, taking in Robin's amused smile, Enel's perpetual irritation and Murdoch attempting to steal another fucking ornament.

Actually... knowing us? Probably quite a lot.

KAH-RA-RA-RA-RA!

Man, I fucking love One Piece.

…

End Of Chapter!

Word Count - 13,227

a/n - 

AYYYY, WE'RE BACK!

First off, sorry for the wait! Had an exam to deal with, unfortunately. On the bright side, I also got to watch Hadestown, and HOLY SHIT, it was FIRE. Still prefer Hamilton though, hehehe.

Anyway, we're getting pretty damn close to catching up with the flashback now, which is honestly crazy to think about.

NOW, THE BIG THING.

KAI X ROBIN IS OFFICIALLY HAPPENING!!! (≧▽≦)

Look, I KNOW Robin is an overdone love interest in One Piece fanfics, BUT I LOVE THIS WOMAN SO MUCH.

Fun fact, I originally planned for Uta to be the love interest. Seriously! But as I kept writing, the setup for Robin was just THERE, y'know? Their chemistry felt natural, and I couldn't bring myself to ignore it.

Maybe the original Uta idea will be revisited later. Who knows? Hehehe. (¬‿¬)

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

If you're enjoying it, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you could head over and leave a review! It genuinely helps the story grow and reach more readers.

And as always, please vote, comment and follow for more updates and to check out my other works!

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!!!