Raya's POV

Let's play catch up, shall we?

We made a death-defying break for Enies Lobby - on a rickety old train without any breaks whatsoever besides whatever imposing structure happens to be in front of it - all in order to rescue a nakama who doesn't necessarily want saving. Now we're here, we've almost been killed several times (one of which was from a misdirected attack from our Queen of Weather-Bending, Nami the Navigator) and we're facing down a seemingly undeafeatable group of baddies with menacing looks and cruel sneers. 

Plus my captain was just picking his nose maybe two minutes ago.

We are sooo badass, it's not even funny.

No really, don't laugh. Please. My ego can't take it.

I shift away as a stiff wind picks up, ruffling my hair, trapped beneath my ever-present bandana. It's in need of another bleaching, but now's not really the time to be worrying about that. I've only been standing here, my feet rooted to the hewn rock, for a few minutes, if that, and already my adrenaline is coursing through veins too small to hold the rush - I want to move, to jump, to spring like some freaking jungle cat. But I'm stuck here, locked in a stare down with a bunch of people who've had too much time with the Government's pole stuck up their asses.

I'm being crude. Excuse my impoliteness.

Breaking my stare with Kaku - the bastard - I peer around Luffy to throw Zoro a questioning look. "What's up with the drawbridge?" I ask.

"The Franky Family is working on lowering it now," he tells me. I nod in approval; good, that means we can get this done that much faster.

But then Zoro adds, glaring at Luffy, "You rushed ahead too quickly and went to the roof, so we had to get up here in order to regroup."

My eye twitches. "Who was it that sent me up here after the kid?" I growl, my annoyance reaching its fever pitch. "If you didn't trust us to handle it alone, then you shoulda come in the first place!"

He looks at me from the corner of his eye, not even giving me half his attention. "Someone's feeling murderous," he comments idly.

"No shit!"

"Good." He smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, jerking his chin at the creeps opposite us. "Save it for them; they'll probably enjoy the fireworks."

Some bickering and lame remarks later, I lean closer to Luffy to whisper something to him. His mood seems heavy - too heavy for my childish forever-ten-years-old captain. He needs reassurance or someone to slap that constipated look from his face at least. But alas, the moment is lost when that big-shot Marine guy starts shouting at us like the deformed lunatic he is. 

"Wahahahaha! You pirates! Do you realize that no matter how brave you are, nothing would ever change?" he cackles. I subtly crack my knuckles, vividly imaginging tearing into his scarred face with a white-hot punch. "We have the full strength of an assassin group, CP9! We have the heavy Gates of Justice that human power cannot open!!"

"Good thing none of us are human, eh?" I snigger to Sogeking. He sweat drops at the comment, inching away from me. Apparently he doesn't consider himself among the inhuman beings of this crew. My face splitting into a grin, I sling my arm around his shoulders, tugging him against me. His skin prickles with anxiety, both for the coming battle and for his sudden closeness to a human of the opposite sex, I'd wager. "Aw, you'll come around eventually, Sogeking! Long as you're with this crew, you're destined for the weird and wonderful."

Any words he might choose the throw back at me (more like toss timidly) are lost as the Marine continues his effortlessly awful rant. "Moreover, I now have the authority to use this golden Den-Den Mushi to trigger the Buster Call!"

Robin reacts violently; her face pales to a ghostly white and she shrinks back as the Marine leans down from his perch to sneer at her. "That's right. Exactly.... twenty years ago. It's the power that obliterated your hometown, Nico Robin! The word Ohara disappeared from the following year's map, didn't it...?"

"Ohara...?" I test the word out slowly, cringing at the bitter taste it coats my tongue with. An involuntary shiver crawls down my spine. Just what tragedy is associated with this word, anyway? And how is it connected to Robin's enigmatic past?

"Stop it!" I jump at Robin's sudden, simmering shout. "Don't do that!"

"Oooooh, I like that response! It's very thrilling!" the Marine coos, only grating on my nerves further. My fingers curls and flex, twitching with the desire to form a lethal fist. My urge to maim him is only growing stronger, and unfortunately, I don't have the go-ahead to do so from my captain yet. He's still too entranced by the look of pure terror transforming Robin's usually passive face. "What? Does that mean I should press the Buster Call's trigger? Eh? Hm...?!"

Something passes through Robin's dark eyes - a memory, a scar, something she wishes she could leave behind in the darkness she escaped from. I tangle my fingers in my hair; inescapable pasts are something I know all too well.

"Do you even know what'll happen if you press it?!" Robin demands, her voice high and uncharacteristically hysterical.

Murmurs pipe up from the crew, sympathetic and relentless. I keep my eyes on Robin, not wanting her to feel even more alone while stacked against such an immovable foe. She's shaking, if only slightly; sweat trickes down the sides of her face, eye-catching with the sun so bright behind us. Her eyes are wide with a fear only she can understand. 

"Of course," the Marine drawls, his voice dripping with contempt. "I know it very well!" He turns to us and smirks like he's just conquered the whole goddamn Grand Line overnight. Kami, I hope Luffy doesn't look so disgusting when we find the One Piece... Course, he'll probably have his mouth stuffed with some form of unidentifiable meat so... "The chances of you pirates getting off this island will become zero... By just a push of the button on this golden Den-Den Mushi....!"

His finger hovers just inches above the button, teasing Robin and setting me off, to the point where I'm pretty much prepared to stab even a damaged Honoo through his eye socket. "What?" he mocks. "Did you have something else in mind? Wahahahahahaha!!"

"It's not that simple!" Robin screams. She stands straight and tall against the injustice facing her, eyes glazed with the promise of tears and mouth set in a thin line to hide her quaking lips. "Stop it!" The force behind her words is great enough to shake even me to the core, all the way down here where I'm of absolutely no help.

The Marine (who Nami tells me is Spandam during a lull in the conversation) continues speaking to Robin in a voice low enough that I can't hear, even with my sharp ears. But I hear Robin's response crystal clear across the divide: "You said Ohara disappeared from the map right....?" She ducks her head, eyes closed and face taut. "Can you see any humans on that map...? You could only be so cruel because you look at the world like that!"

No one speaks for countless heartbeats. I can't tear my eyes away from Robin's, and even as she sinks to the ground, the emotions behind them remain the only things I can see. So much pain, so much despair and sadness and bitter, bitter regret. My fists clench tighter, drawing blood-red crescent moons on my palms. Whatever can make my nakama so broken and scared is something I don't want to face, but something I'll gladly rip to shreds if it means I can keep her from shedding any more tears.

"If you... ask for the Buster Call now... you'll be blown up, too... along with Enies Lobby!"

"Don't be silly!" Spandam immediately barks. "How could we be blown up by our own allies?! What're you talking about?!"

"Twenty years ago... just one attack took everything from me. And ruined the lives of many people! That is the Buster Call....!" Robin draws in a sharp breath, raising her head to stare over the wall Spandam uses to tower over her. "It's aimed at the dear nakama that I've finally found."

I blink, puzzled and flattered at the unexpected warmth in her voice. She's been so cold, so hositle since we've come here, for her to change so quickly into the Robin from before this shit... My lips curls in a fierce smile. 

"The more I wish to be with you," she continues, her words growing stronger with her conviction, "the more my fate will bear its fans at you!"

And there goes the warmth, I think wryly, wrinkling my nose at her pessimisstic demeanor. Such drama.

"No matter what sea I go to, I have this great foe I can't shake off! Because my enemy is... the world... and it's darkness...! First the incident with Aokiji! And now, this... I've gotten you involved twice already. If this goes on forever, even good-natured people like you.... wll eventually consider me a burden! You'll betray and abandon me! That's what I'm most afraid of! That's why I didn't want you to come and save me! If that's a life I'll...."

She trails off as she finally notices me waving my flaming hand around like it's really on fire and I'm too stupid to put it out. The flames wink out of existance as my face fills with my signature cocky smirk. "Stop spouting bull, Robin," I advise her, waving a hand loftily. "How many damn times are you going to make me say it, huh? We came because we wanted to. We accept whatever burden you're carrying, alright? These guys put up with my sadistic nature and urge to kill black-bearded pirates, don't they?"

She stares, only stares at me, saying nothing, just like before. The terse silence sets my teeth on edge. I'm here bearing my soul and whatnot, and she chooses to give me the silent treatment? Not very appreciated, if I'm being honest. I huff out a sigh, hands on my hips. Ok, I'll take another route. "What I'm trying to say, Robin, is that it doesn't matter who or what your enemy is. Be it the world or hell itself, I for one will gladly stand by your side against anyone. I've put my life in your many hands before and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again." I raise a hand, pointing directly at the World Government flag snapping in the wind high above all us meaningless spectators. "That, right there?" I nod at the flag. "It means less than shit to me."

"I like how you think, Raya!" Luffy's grin is perfectly prideful, and I scratch my cheek sheepishly. He's really praising me, huh? Another reason why I love Luffy as my captain; he's expressive and open with his feelings. Though that may be due in part to his lack of mental faculties, but nonetheless, it's heartwarming and welcome in such a cruel, twisted world. "Sogeking..." His smile slips as he calls the sniper, deepening into a frightening frown.

"Huh?"

"Shoot... that flag."

"Roger!" Sogeking (in true Usopp-fashion) dramatically draws back his weapon's sling, narrating his very actions. "New weapon: The Great Pachinko called Kabuto! Carefully observe its power!! Firebird Star!!" With a resounding crack, the sling is let go and the projectile released, in the form of a fire phoenix that flies, a tail of brilliant embers in its wake, straight and true into the Government flag. The fabric goes up in crackling flames, burning as wickedly as the smile in my morganite eyes.

So. Captain just declared war on the World Government. 

I link my hands behind my head, unable to keep the cheery smile from twitching my lips up. This is freaking perfect. 

I only wish I could snap a picture of Spandom's face. You know, it'll last longer, but I'm sure this delightful image'll last plenty long in my memory.

"Are you bastards insane?!" Ah. The freakshow's finally regained his skin-grating voice. "Don't you dare to even dream that you'd survive having the World Government as your enemy!!"

"I'd be happy to live with that!!" Luffy's shout rings loud and confident in the growing silence, screaming his pure, innocent heart out for Robin to hear, understand, listen.

He leans forward, beckoning Robin to match him. "Robin!!" he calls. "I haven't heard it from you yet!!"

She blinks away stinging tears, uncomprehending.

"SAY YOU WANNA LIVE!!!"

For a heartstopping moment, we stand in the whistling wind, deaf to everything but Robin's unanswering voice. I strain forward, wanting to catch at least a glimpse of her, as she's back on her knees and hard to spot from this vantage point. Then, it all pours out.

"I WADDA LIVE!" she screams, choked with tears and incomprehensible feelings that burst from deep within her. Or so I'm guessing. From the scrambled words I'd say I'm pretty close to the mark. "Take me with you to the sea!!"

And there's Franky (who've I've completely forgotten about until this point) chiming in with a tearful, "Woooooh, I love you guys, dammit!"

I cock my head as the sound of clinking metal reaches my ears, and then I'm flat on my stomach, staring down at the drawbridge slowly rumbling into place below us. "Yes!" I cheer, throwing a fist skyward. "Time to kick some bad-guy ass!"

I clamber to my feet, both fists aflame, ready for whatever challenge comes our way. As long as I get across that bridge and get to unleash my terrifying wrath one some lowlife scum (otherwise known as the CP9) I'm good. I'm sane, is more like it, but good sounds less troubling.

Luffy, the ringleader of this insane little expedition, slams his fist into his opposite palm, some cocky exuberent smile on his face. "Here we go!!"

And so the war commences.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I'M SORRY IT'S SO SHORT BUT I'M BUILDING THE SUSPENSE!!

Also, sorry if this chapter sucked in comparison to last chapter. I'm trying to get back into my Raya-writing mood. Hehe, I'm sorry....