A/N: Soooo do you guys hate me for not posting for so long? I hope not. Anyways, here you go.

Chapter 12: The Poneglyph

Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp kept running. Soon, the town entrance came into view. Chopper and Sanji headed the group towards the Sunny. Frankie needed help. And they were sure Zoro probably hadn't made it back yet. Nami ran behind them, watching the boys cross the gateway. She felt something grab her elbow and before she could do anything, she was yanked to the side into the shadows. Her reflex was to scream, but a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Shhh. I'm not going to hurt you."

Nami calmed down and the hand released allowing her to step back against the brick wall. With a cautious eye, Nami looked the figure up and down trying to decipher who the foreigner was. It was getting annoying how many strangers have been messing with her nakama. She wasn't about to let another one slip in. But the figure had no distinguishable markers. The face was completely covered by a hood that shaded the eyes and the cloth covered his nose and mouth. A ragged dark cloak draped over the entire form and it reminded Nami of the grim reaper. She would have been scared but she wasn't going to let herself die a stupid death. If she were to die, it'd be because she was chasing after some crazy adventure with her wild captain. Death wasn't just going to come pluck her out of the world so simply.

"For Miss Nico." The cloaked figure extended a hand. Hesitantly, Nami reached out and the figure dropped a small vile of liquid into her palm with a piece of paper attached. She brought the vile up to her eyes, looking it over as to what it was. She was never great with these things and wished Chopper were here.

"Please get it to her. She's probably already facing him now." The figure turned to leave.

"Who are you?" Nami asked.

"Someone who's trying to repay a debt. You'll find the coordinates to her location in there." He made a gesture towards the paper he'd given her.

Before Nami could ask anything else, the figure jumped high into the air and disappeared. There's too many people from Robin's past to keep up, Nami thought. There's no time to lose. Nami looked at the paper and ran out of the alley way into the street in the direction of the forest. Chopper will have the Frankie situation covered and Sanji will guard the ship. They didn't need her, but Robin does.

She ran as fast as she could and was making good time until she was suddenly knocked backward. It came at her so fast, she had no idea what was happening until she was on the ground and rubbing her head. She got up and dusted herself off.

"Oi! Nami!"

"Luffy!?"

Seeing his dimwitted, smiling face, it was clear to Nami he didn't even realize his fault. She balled her fists and was ready to unload a deal of rage, but there was no time. She had a mission to complete and she knew it was better to bring Luffy along to help. As much as she wanted to get going, she didn't want to run into trouble without any back up.

"I just beat up the wind-guy! Now Robin is safe!" Luffy told her gleefully. On closer examination, Nami saw that Luffy was sweaty all over and his clothes were torn and dirtied, clear signs that he'd been in a tough battle.

"Ummm. Not quite." Nami said. "I'll explain later. But right now, we need to get to the forest and deliver this vile to Robin."

Luffy scratched his head, looking at the little bottle Nami was holding up for him to see. After a moment of what Nami assumed was thinking, Luffy shrugged and said, "Okay, if it'll help Robin." He arm wrapped around Nami's waist several times over and stretched his free arm out and grabbed onto a high corner of a building two streets down. Nami's eyes went wide. "Wait, what are you – AAAAHHHH!" It was too late as Luffy propelled the both of them off the ground with Nami clinging to him, screaming for her life.

Robin couldn't feel her body. She tried to move her arms and legs but her limbs weren't listening to her brain. It was as if all the signals in her body were being intercepted by some outside source. Ace's hands were clenched together. He was getting pretty tired of Mr. Green's comments. Wanting to end things right away, Ace leaped into action. He lit his hands into fire and pulled back to ready a blow. Then he noticed something. Mr. Green seemed totally cool, standing still as if there wasn't an angry burst of flame coming towards his head. All of a sudden, a collection of arms with leafy vines twisting around them burst forth from the ground in front of Mr. Green. Ace's eyes when wide, but it was too late to stop the attack. His flames hit the wall of limbs and charred the flesh and leaves.

Ace heard Robin yelp behind him. Looking back, he found Robin hunched over and starring at her arms, which were now red with first degree burns. But it wasn't the burns that shocked him. Rather, it was the swirling lines, much resembling a full body tattoo, that traced over her entire body. They looked just like the real vines that encircled the phantom arms in front of Mr. Green. Ace was seething now. His arms flared once again as he cast a menacing glare at Mr. Green.

"Tsk tsk," Mr. Green shook his head with a smirk. "I wouldn't try that again. She might get hurt."

Ace remained still, his flames slowly died down. The enemy was right. He wouldn't dare hurt Robin. Then what was there left for Ace to do if he couldn't even touch his enemy? Ace continued to glare at Mr. Green as he thought of what to do. It was frustrating.

Mr. Green paid the angry pirate barely any attention and moved his gaze onto Nico Robin. He smacked his lips together as if he'd just been served a delicious entrée as he took in the image of her body, now raked with the swirly lines that meant only one thing: she now belonged to him.

He hadn't been positive if his plan would have worked but now it was clear that he had complete control after testing it with that barrier of limbs. He had masterfully injected a serum of his own making into her blood stream during their last encounter when his spikes that punctured various sections of her body. The serum, mixed in he blood traveling through her entire system, directly linked his devil fruit power to hers. The enzyme produced by his spikes had the ability to disrupt the signals sent by the brain. When combined with the serum, the affected devil fruit user no longer has control over their power and their entire body is taken over. Mr. Green had only ever made one sample, and seeing the result of his work on Robin made him grin greedily.

"Shall we get a move on then?" Mr. Green addressed Robin.

Robin tried to look calm, but it was taking more effort than she thought. Her legs started moving on their own, and it was now a battle of wills. A battle that she already lost because no body part listened to her brain no matter how hard she tried to yield her legs to and arms to do what she wanted.

Mr. Green turned his attention to Ace. "Just to make sure you don't try anything funny while we're busy." He flicked his wrists once in the air. Green vines and phantom limbs rose from the ground wrapping around Ace's wrists and ankles, securing him in place. Ace could easily escape if he wanted. All he had to do was change to fire and burn his way to freedom. But he didn't make a move, knowing that escaping meant burning Robin's hands. And he wasn't going to do that even if his life depended on it. Instead he watched with simmering fury as Robin and Mr. Green made their way to the edge of the bridge. They stopped just in front of it. Robin looked down over the edge at the rushing water down below. The rocks looked ragged and steep. If anybody fell down there, they'd be dead on impact. Over to one side, hidden slightly by the ridged boulders was a small opening in the crevice of the rocky wall. If would have been easy not to notice unless someone were actively seeking it, and Robin knew that must be where they were headed. Mr. Green's vines made a leafy stairway descending downward.

"After you, Miss All-Sunday."

Robin didn't try fighting the legs that moved to take the first steps down. She knew it'd be futile to fight at this moment. Instead, she kept her stoic expression on and her chin held high. She'll just have to find a way out or a weakness to exploit later. Besides, she was sure they were headed to the poneglyph. Which meant she'd be one step closer to fulfilling her mother's legacy, even if it meant allowing the enemy an upper hand for the time being.

Mr. Green followed slowly after her, leaving Ace alone behind them. Robin didn't look back at Ace once, and all Ace could do was watch as she disappeared from his view.

Franky's body was laid out flat on his back with the help of Sanji and Usopp. They had finally made it back to the Sunny Go. Chopper, in his human form, was hunched over Franky's body scanning for injuries with a flashlight. Then he pressed the base of his stethoscope over Franky's chest and listened.

"I hear a beat!" Chopper exclaimed. There weren't many human parts to examine considering Franky was half-cyborg. But if there's one body part the cyborg would never trade out for a machine, it's his heart.

Usopp sighed in relief.

"Will he be okay?" Sanji asked.

"I think so. It's a good thing you guys found me in time."

"Well, I had Sanji and Nami to help," Usopp said. "Wait, where's Nami?"

Chopper and Sanji blinked and realization dawned on them. Nami wasn't in the room with them. In fact, they don't remember when they last saw her. Sanji ran out of the infirmary to the deck of the ship calling out, "Nami-swaaaan!" After a few minutes of searching he came back in, fuming and saddened that his love had disappeared. "She might be in trouble," he said. "I'm going to look for her. Stay here with Chopper, Usopp."

Sanji ran as fast as he could, retracing the path they had taken. Nami must have ran into trouble somewhere along the way. Maybe she was kidnapped without their notice, or maybe she had tripped and fallen somewhere and needed help. Either way, Sanji was determined to find her. He made it in his head to not make any stops until he found her. That was until he collided with another body coming from the opposite direction. A flash of green was all Sanji was aware of as he was forced backward making him stumble.

"YOU STUPID MARIMO! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Sanji yelled. "AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"I was on my way back to the ship! What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Nami-swan! Did you get lost again?!"

"NO!" Zoro's face burned red. "Now get out of my way you ero-cook!" Zoro stalked off.

"Wrong way Mosshead!" Sanji called out. "The ship is in the other direction. Forget it, we can't have you getting lost again. You're coming with me to find Nami-chan." Sanji grabbed onto Zoro's collar and pulled him back.

"What?! Let go of me. I have to get to the Sunny Go."

"With your direction skills, you might never find it. Plus, Chopper and Usopp are there. They'll take care of things."

Zoro grunted his disapproval. He really wasn't looking forward to helping the cook with his stupid errand. Neither did he want to make a trip back with the naggy woman who always found a reason to hit him and a pining love-sick cook. But Nami was his nakama and the Sunny was in good hands. So Zoro let Sanji drag him along on the quest to find the navigator.

Ace looked down at the phantom hands clasp around his wrists and ankles, feeling a little useless. He wasn't able to protect Robin like he had hoped, and now he had no idea what was happening underground. Ace racked his brain for a way to help. He tugged the limbs, but that made the vines tighten and grow. He couldn't break them and he couldn't burn them. But maybe he didn't have to. Maybe I can't change my entire body into fire. But I can change parts. He took a few breathes. I'd have to be really careful at the wrists. Closing his eyes and concentrating, Ace's head slowly disappeared into a blaze of flames and spread steadily outward, the flames dwindling down to a delicate kindle. The only thing left were the floating, disembodied hands and feet still held in the grasp of Robing's phantom limbs. Ace's new inconspicuous form trailed along the ground towards the staircase of vines, and down towards the opening of the cave.

Robin walked in silence. She could feel Mr. Green moving behind her as he followed. The pitter-patter of his boots echoed against the rock and dirt dampened by the river water that was soaking through. It was dark most of the way until near the end, when an array of torches against the rocky walls lit up. Soon, the tunnel emptied into a large cavernous chamber. Robin wondered how deep underground they were. It was probably safe to assume they were still above water levels. Her eyes scanned the area as they walked hoping to catch a sight of any other tunnels that could be used to escape. But all her thinking stopped when her eyes caught sight of the large block of stone standing in the middle, vines and dust lying over the scribbles.

"LUUUUFFY!" Nami screamed louder and clamped her eyes shut when she saw they were about to crash into the ground. She braced for impact clinging to her rubber captain, but the crash never came. Instead, she felt Luffy's body expand in size as his arms brought her up above him. When they finally hit the ground, Luffy's inflated body absorbed all the force and Nami was completely protected in the rubber cushion. Luffy released her and she rolled to the ground at his side. Luffy deflated back to normal. Nami got up, still a little shaky from the landing. She looked up at the stars in the sky, trying to figure out their position through the constellations. Looking back at the paper in her hand, Nami concurred that this was right about where Robin should be. Surveying the area, Nami found nobody in sight, but bushel of vines that grew from the ground in a way Nami found unnatural. Upon closer inspection, Nami realized that in the mist of those vines were arms growing out of one another, all holding onto a pair floating hands and feet.

"Luffy!" Nami called and gestured for her captain to come over. At the edge of each limb, a light flame flickered like a candle, avoiding touching the vines and fingers that held them in place. Nami guessed the fiery hands and feet were Ace's. Who else could have their skin lit with fire and not actually burn to a crisp?

"I think you're brother was trying to escape," Nami stated.

"Why didn't he just burn his way through like normal?"

"Look at the vines Luffy. There are arms attached to them. Who do you think those belong to?"

Luffy scratched his head and scrunched his lips in thought. Nami's forehead was twitching at this point.

"ROBIN! YOU IDIOT!"

"Oh yeah." Luffy grinned happily when he finally got smacked her face and sighed.

Only a few things were on Robin's mind as she stared at the ancients words carved over the dusty surface of the poneglyph. One, the actual translation of the writings. Because even though she didn't want to tell Mr. Green about the secret weapon, she still wanted to know it's valuable history. Two, how to gain control of her arms, which have now begun to glow and had swirly vines all over them. And three, how she was going to twist Mr. Green's neck once she figures out part two. Mr. Green sat at the side watching her.

"I don't remember you taking this long to decode the poneglyph for Crocodile," Mr. Green cut into her thoughts.

"Those writings weren't as complicated," Robin responded plainly, turning to him. She swore she saw a flame flicker behind Mr. Green but then thought it have been because of the torches. Her eyes went back to the writing. She'd read about half of it. It was mostly history but there were definitely references to the location of the secret weapon. If she stayed here long enough, Mr. Green will definitely find a way to extract the knowledge from her. If she wanted to escape, she had to buy some time.

"You never mentioned what you planned to do with the weapon," Robin voiced. If I could just keep him talking…

"Well that's my business, isn't it? It's not like you have any use for it." Mr. Green looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I used to think you and I were so alike." Robin raised her an eyebrow, an expression of mild interest. She waited for him to continue. "I used to watch you," he admitted. "You were quiet and private, yet still so efficient. I could see why Crocodile was so fond of you."

Robin gave a dry chuckle. "I wouldn't imagine someone being fond of a person they tried to kill."

"Well, you failed him. What else was he to do?" Mr. Green justified.

"For someone who wanted to overthrow Crocodile, you sure defend him a lot."

"He and I had similar goals. Its not unusual that I can understand his perspective on things."

"Hmmm." Robin had to keep the conversation going. "So why do you think we're alike?"

"Like I said. I watched you a lot back then." Mr. Green walked towards her now, eyes fixed. "The way you out smarted your opponents with your eloquent words. The flirty little smirk you give them before you tear them apart with your petaled arms. Everyone's seen the VP at work, carrying out the toughest assignments with swift precision." He stopped right in front of her but continued to lean in. "You're secretive yet forceful," he whispered. "And in that, I saw myself in you."

Robin still couldn't move. Her eyes caught another flicker of light behind Mr. Green. She swore she was seeing things, or maybe it was just a side effect of the serum in her system. Mr. Green's voice caught her attention again. "You always kept me on my toes. I sometimes got nervous wondering if Miss All-Sunday suspected me." He was so close she thought he might try to take advantage of her again. Then his body retreated back and she could no longer feel his breath. "But after the whole incident in Alabasta, I realized I was wrong. You're not like me. You might have been clever and strong Miss All-Sunday, but you never saw the great power of the weapon hidden within the poneglyphs. You just wanted to learn the stupid history and keep the power hidden. Such a waste, concealing all that destructive glory."

Robin's eyebrows creased and her gaze became hard and accusing. "The poneglyphs are treasures. They hold all the lost pieces of history that the world has forgotten. No weapon you resurrect can compare to the history preserved there. The words alone have the power to change everything we think we know."

Mr. Green scoffed at her words and walked away. "Enough talk. Just get back to deciphering that writing for me Miss All-Sunday."

Robin's chest was heaving. She took a deep breath and turned back to the enormous stone.

Nami hated underground caves. She hated them almost as much as the bats that lived in them. Nami cringed every time she heard an odd sound and shivered at the thought of any swift movement that wasn't her own. She groaned in her head at how she ended up here, trudging through this narrow tunnel with muddy water dripping on her face every few seconds. Wiping the water off her forehead, Nami looked ahead to her captain in front. And as usual, Luffy was in a completely merry mood, determined and unworried about the predicament they were in. He trekked on ahead at a quickened pace knocking rocks out of the way with his punches as Nami trailed behind him. Luffy was using so much force, Nami was scared the whole compound was going to cave in.

"Luffy! Wait!" Nami called ahead. She wasn't about to lose track of the rubber idiot. Who knows what sort of trouble he'd get into on his own. Luffy slowed to a halt and looked behind him. Without a second thought, he shot his arm out and grabbed the lagging navigator.

"AAAH – Oof!"

Nami peeled herself off of Luffy, then proceed to knock him upside the head. At the end of it, Luffy rubbed his head and his cheeks, all purple and swollen. Having calmed down, Nami huffed. She dug her hand into her pocket and took out the vile. Good thing it didn't fall out. How much further does this tunnel go? Nami looked on ahead into the tunnel and began worrying. They were losing time. There had to be a quicker way to get there. Another droplet fell on Nami's head. She wiped it and looked up. She watched more droplets gather together until it was heavy enough to leave the rocky edges of the cave. Her eyes followed the route down until it splashed lightly next to her shoe. Nami leaned down and patted the ground with her hand. The dirt felt damp and soft underneath her hand. Her eyes lit up.

"Luffy. Come here." The rubber boy walked over to her, still rubbing his head. "Punch right here." She pointed to the ground, right were she was just standing. Luffy didn't understand what was going on, but he followed her instructions. It was better to just go along with her plan than to get another beating. The rubber boy twisted his arm back and punched. The ground cracked and shook a little. Then little by little, the crack got bigger and the rock started caving in, creating a big hole. Looking in, Nami grinned.

Turns out, there was a whole other level underneath the tunnel. Nami and Luffy jumped down into the lower level. It was quite a drop, but not big enough to break a bone from. Landing on the ground, the found that water was running down a stream, almost like an underground river. Nami scanned the area and found a small boat tied to the side. It was old and dusty, like nobody's used it in almost a century. She knocked on the wood. No termites. And it looks stable enough. Nami got in and turned around.

Nami looked at her captain with skepticism. The river didn't look too deep but if the rubber boy were to fall in then…. She gulped. For once, Luffy seemed aware of her hesitation. He grinned more widely and stepped onto the floating vessel.

"Let's go get our nakama," he said and twisted his arm and plunged it into the water. The rubber arm spun like a motor and thrust the boat forward.

The traveled along for awhile until Nami caught sight of a wooden ladder than hung from a hole in the ceiling. Securing the boat, Nami and Luffy climbed the ladder up. It became dark and the tunnel was so narrow. When they reached the top, they found they were sealed in under some type of stone. Balancing on top of Luffy, Nami pushed the stone up slowly and peered in through the crack.

In his non-corporal form, Ace hid among the fires lit by the torches around the room. Watching the way that guy was looking at Robin, Ace wanted to go berserk. But all he was able to do was create a few flickers. He's body had never been separated at such a distance when he transformed. He was use to making his fire big and explosive, and he'd use everything he had in a blow. His flames were always close. Keeping this form utilized a lot more control than Ace was use to. And he couldn't transform back or help in anyway with his hands and feet still stuck above ground.

Just as Mr. Green finally retreated from Robin, Ace's attention was brought to a square stone tile that started to rise up from the ground. Nami's head peeped out and ducked back down. Then the stone was lifted and moved to the side. Ace watched as the navigator climbed out of the ground followed by his little brother. If he wasn't all flames right now, he'd be smirking.

A/N: Until next time.