Second Wind

33

When Luffy arrived back at the royal palace carrying an unconscious Crocodile and a resigned Robin over his shoulders, the Strawhats that had gathered there already, namely Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Seal, all had varying reactions.

Once Luffy landed, Usopp immediately started cheering. "Alright! You beat him Luffy! I never doubted you for a second!"

Chopper chose to stare at Luffy in awe. "Luffy's so strong..." he said quietly. Seal was especially enthusiastic, waving his arms in the air and somehow jumping up and down despite lack of the necessary appendages with which to do so. Although he didn't really know who Crocodile was, he'd been able to piece together that he was the leader of the ones who the crew was at conflict with, and therefore recognized this as a victory.

Nami, on the other hand, decided to focus on the fact that the one she knew as Miss All Sunday was still conscious, and was now moving of her own free will. "Luffy!" she yelled in panic. "What is Miss All Sunday doing here!?" Meanwhile, Sanji was staring at Robin with glazed over eyes as if mesmerized.

Luffy scratched his head. "Huh? What do you mean? She's here because she wants to be."

"That's not what I meant!" Nami yelled, waving her fist. "I meant why did you bring her here unrestrained!"

Luffy's face lit up in comprehension. "Oooohh ok, I get it." He then turned to King Cobra, who, having caught on to who she was, was watching Robin nervously, along with Pell and Chaka. "So anyway, king ossan, can you-"

"Don't ignore my question!" Nami shouted indignantly. If she hadn't been terrified of the warlord at his feet, she probably would have gone to bonk him over the head by now. As it was, she was hiding behind Sanji while shouting.

"If I may interrupt," Robin began, "I've already surrendered to your captain, and even if I wanted to, it's not likely that I could do much of anything with him here. So you really have nothing to fear from me," she pointed out. Nami was still staring at her suspiciously though.

"Don't worry about it Nami," Luffy said dismissively. "I trust her. She won't try anything."

"Monkey-san," Robin spoke up, addressing Luffy. All eyes turned to her, and she closed her eyes. What she was about to tell them could change everything. "Since you're helping me, I thought you should know...the princess' friends from the rebel army were being held in Rainbase." She looked down at the ground. "Though to be honest...I don't think they're still-"

"Taken care of," Luffy said. Robin looked surprised, and Luffy grinned. "I sent Zoro to help Vivi retrieve them. They'll be back soon."

Robin looked at him somewhat guiltily. "I'm not certain they'll be able to help..." she stated.

"I am," Luffy said with a tone of finality. His sheer confidence surprised her, but she supposed she shouldn't be shocked. He had been this way from the beginning.

"Luffy," Nami began uncertainly, "What does she mean when she says you're helping her?"

"Right, I was getting to that. But you guys kept interrupting me," Luffy said with a pout. He turned back to the king. "Hey king ossan, can you let Robin see the poneglyph you guys are protecting?" As soon of the words left his mouth, Cobra's eyes widened considerably, while Pell and Chaka looked at him in confusion. When the king got passed his shock, a bead of sweat rolled down his brow.

"Not to come off as rude, but how do you know about that exactly?" he asked carefully. Luffy sighed melodramatically.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" he said, looking around at everyone present. "For the last time, I know a lot of things. So? Can we see it?"