Chapter 90: It’s called karma, and it’s pronounced ha ha

One more week and Sunny would have reached her destination: Dressrosa. The news of Rick’s doings at Mary Geoise had somehow divided the crew.

One group found it hilarious. To that group belong Luffy (obviously), Zoro who thought the Navy would be chasing them even more (meaning strong opponents), and Franky who hated the World Government with passion after what they did to my master Tom.

A second group was scared shitless. Unsurprisingly, it was composed of the weak trio, Nami, Usopp and Chopper. Now they would be in even more danger than ever, as if sailing with Luffy was not dangerous enough.

Lastly the third group: Robin, Sanji and Brook who didn’t really care and were just waiting for him to come back. The last two were too busy cursing momonosuke with his perverted ways more than anything. They were waiting for retribution for the lecherous kid. Retribution who’s name was Wal D Rick.

All of them however were united in their feelings of happiness. When Rick had left, his time had almost run out. When he died he had only one month of life in him. Doing some calculation, the crew stayed on Fishman island for about a week and a bit more than a week had passed since they received the news on his attack against Marie Geoise. To them, the attack was proof enough that he had found Vegapunk and was going to be alright.

While his actions could have been a last hoorah before he passed away, it never crossed their mind to think about it like. If they did, they discarded it, and chose to hope and to believe in their friend.

To the outsiders things were a bit different. Law has been a bit out of sorts since the news. Spending time with Luffy made him second guess his choice for an alliance. And now he was pretty sure it was the worst idea he ever had.

Kin’emon wasn’t concerned about it. He felt respect for this man he didn’t know. After all, wasn’t he too fighting against a corrupt Tyrant? Rick was bold enough to openly do it and by himself at a larger scale. He wanted to meet the man, though was a bit worried for Momonosuke.

Speaking of which, the little goblin, despite the warnings he had given him, was stuck to Robin almost all the time. Right now was not an exception as the back of his head was firmly nesting between her valley of softness with a smile of contentment.

Suddenly a loud ‘thud’ was heard. Something had landed on the deck. Everyone turned their head to look and were happily surprised at the sight. Rick had come back. Dressed as he usually was with his trademark overcoat. He had changed the color from white to black since Luffy was still wearing the white one he had gifted him two years prior.
In his hands were two huge bags that seemed full, their content was anyone's guess.

“Hey! I’m back!” said the Vice-captain.

Luffy, Chopper and Usopp came to circle him and began to ask him some questions when Rick’s landed on his wife. The joy of seeing her actually never came. In a murderous tone he spoke.

“Kid. You have five seconds to move.”
“Get rid of him!”

Momonosuke didn’t care who that new guy was and he didn’t care either about the order. He did what he always did with the other perverts of the crew. He turned himself around and dived into Robin’s cleavage and gropped them as he gave a smug face to Rick.

What happened next was expected.

Rick grew two long black horns on his head.

“Shit! Rick’s horny!” yelled Usopp.
“Eh! Eh! Eh!”
“Yohohoho.” laughed Brook with Franky to what their friend said.

The next second Momonosuke flew from his position to Rick who grabbed him by the head with his outstretched hand. Except Zoro who knew that would happen and Brook and Sanji who secretly were rejoicing, everyone became worried.

“Let me go! Do you know who I am? I’m…”
“DEAD!” in a very creepy and raspy voice.
“YES! DEAD MEAT! CRUSH HIS HEAD!”

Some of the crew acted. Luffy warped himself around him, while hands bloomed on the arm Rick used to hold Momonosuke. Robin was applying as much pressure as she could on his joints and muscles to force him to release his grip. It somehow worked as her husband couldn’t muster the strength to crack the little goblin’s skull.

“Rick let him go!” yelled Robin.

Hearing her voice, he regained a bit of his sanity back and did as asked. Momonosuke fell down on his ass in a smelly puddle and Rick took a deep breath calming himself, making the horns disappear.

He looked at Robin who looked back. She was clearly angry with him which in turn made him angry. He picked the two bags he arrived with and without a word went inside the Sunny as Luffy entangled himself from him and Robin’s arms went away.

Everyone on deck looked in silence at the close door the Vice-captain had passed.
“Called it.” said Zoro.


~~~~~~

Getting inside Sunny Rick immediately went to the garden and locked the door behind him. He needed to be alone right now to think about what just happened and didn’t want any interloper coming to annoy him.

“WHAT. THE. HELL.” he screamed in his head.

“Sure, Momonosuke is a perverted little shit, but popping his head off? WHAT THE FUCK!”.

He was pacing around trying to wrap up his head about the situation.

“Okay, okay, okay. Breath moron, breath. Let’s think about it again. You landed on the deck, talked for a few seconds with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper while looking around for Robin. Found Robin with this little shit sitting on her lap enjoying MY BREASTS! MINE!”

His breath became ragged at the thought and he gripped hard the rail of the little balcony he was in. So hard that the wood creaked. Would the wood have been anything other than the Adam wood it would have broken.

“Breath…. Breath…. In and out. In and out.”

Rick was trying as best as he could to calm himself down which took long minutes to do.

“Now what happened next was… Usopp saying I was horny? As in with horns? The same horns it seems I have when I blackout and the sea devil take over? That doesn’t make sense, I wasn’t unconscious this time and remembered everything! Pulling the little shit to me, grabbing him by the head and… The voice! I remember that voice! I heard it before but where?”

He exited the balcony and was back to the garden, pacing again trying to remember where he had heard that voice before. It was very distinct, cold and raspy, just like his own voice has been. But there was more to it. A… sadistic tone to it, pushing him to hurt, to inflict pain, to kill and to revel in it.

“Alabasta…” Rick said the memory flashing in his mind.

“When I got Vivi in my arms, back at the kidnappers' hideout, that’s where I heard it from…. Back then it was the first time I… had an episode… Yeah lets call it that, an episode. So I had an episode then and I had half of an episode just there. Is it the sea devil’s voice? But why didn’t I hear it on Thriller Bark or Marine Ford?”

He paced around, again and again, trying to connect the dots of what happened each time and Vegapunk’s research. In the end he had a wobbling theory but a theory nonetheless.

“So… With a normal person who ate a devil fruit, the person's soul and the sea devil’s influence are at odds, but in some kind of balance… No actually the soul is dominant otherwise, DF users turning to devils would have been public knowledge. To people eating two DF the body explodes because it can’t contain two strands of the sea devil AND the soul. With artificial humans, like me, the body/vessel is strong enough to contain the three. Since my soul wasn’t in perfect sync with the vessel, the sea devil couldn’t take over it. Not completely at least, since I only had an episode when I was feeling extreme anger and could turn back with exterior help. Actually… is that really the case? I didn’t have help back in Alabasta all those years ago. I did it at Thriller Bark and I didn’t at Marine Ford. That one was because my body had reached its limits. Considering  I only had horns on TB but had also wings at Marine ford… The sea devil was clearly gaining more influence on me. That would answer why I didn’t hear his voice again after the Alabasta episode. He didn’t need to tempt me anymore since he already had a foot on the door so to speak. That was with the Imperfect Body V2 though. Now that my soul is correctly sync with the Perfect Body V1… Could it be that the sea devil lost his influence since the “backdoor” has been shut? That would explain why he spoke to me again, he needed a connection through my anger. Goddess if my soul had been weaker he wouldn’t even have had the need to speak he would just have taken over.”

At the revelation of the situation, Rick rested his back against the wall and slid down towards the floor.

“This is not good. Heck I’m totally fuck.”

The only effective way to be free would have been for Rick to never feel anger to an extreme. With Akainu, the celestial dragon and Robin, it was mission impossible.

“What should I do?”


~~~~~

“Has anyone seen Rick recently?” asked Usopp.

The only answer he got was negative.

“It’s been three days, I’m worried.” said Chopper who today looked with envy at Momonosuke who yet again took his place on her lap.
“He’s just upset.” replied Robin.
“It’s more than that.” replied Sanji, serving snacks and left to join Franky and Brook farther away to talk without elaborating wha he had said

“Now that’s weird. Sanji didn’t do his usual thing.” thought Nami.

Looking towards the trio discussing on the side, Nami noticed the conversation seemed serious. She got curious and went to them.

“You’re talking about Rick, right?” she asked.
“Yes.” replied the cyborg.
“Robin is wrong. He’s not just upset.” stated Sanji again.
“He’s not the type to get upset for so long. Usually he… just immediately forgets about it.” said Brook.

“That’s true.” thought Nami.

“I don’t understand why he reacted like that towards an innocent kid.”

The trio looked at her as if she sprouted a second head. They looked at each other and had a second conversation before turning back to her.

“And that’s the problem Nami.” said Franky.
“What do you mean?”
“Momonosuke isn’t just an innocent Kid.” explained Brook.
“He’s not innocent at all.” finished Sanji.

Nami rolled her eyes.

“You’re talking about an eight years old child here. I’m sure is no thief or murderer.” replied Nami with a deadpan face.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Nami.” replied Sanji
“He may be eight be he’s a full fledge pervert already.”added Brook
“Trust us on that, WE’re perverts and we recognize our own…”explained  Franky.
“Riiiiiight.”

She was getting tired of this conversation.

“You don’t see it simply because you can’t believe it. But we can show you, Brook?”
“I’m on it.”
Brook left the group and made his way towards Robin.

“Keep your eyes on Momonosuke, especially his facial expression.” said Franky.

Nami sighed but did what her friend asked. Soon after, Brook taunted Momonosuke and acted like a pervert. Nami was shocked at what happened next. Momonusked played the bullied child card and reacted the same way he did when Rick told him to move from Robin’s lap. Robin dispatched Brook easily while the little goblin showed the exact same perverted smug face. She couldn’t believe it. They were right. This kid was not innocent at all!

“You saw. Good.” said Franky.
“Yes… No wonder Rick went bonkers. Robin is his everything…”
“And a perverted little shit treated her like she’s his property right in front of his face and took some liberties that anyone else would have taken would have ended in pieces spread at every corner of the world.”
“God this is a big mess.” lamented Nami.
“What are you going to do?” asked Brook who had come back.
“First… Talk to Rick, then to Robin and deal with momonosuke.”
“If Rick speaks to you.” said Sanji.
“Why wouldn’t he?” asked Nami, surprised.
“Chopper went to see him to examine him but the garden’s door was firmly shut. I brought him food yesterday; left it in front of the door. As of this morning he didn’t touch it. I don’t think he went out of the garden since he locked himself inside.”
“He actually did.” replied Brook.
“When?” asked Nami.
“During the night when everyone was asleep. He took a shower.”

Nami bit her lower lip, thinking. She didn’t like the way her owner acted right now. And she didn’t like that both of them were having a fight. She had to try.
She thanked the guys and went inside Sunny, reached the door of the garden and knocked but got no answer. She knocked again.

“Rick, it’s me, can I come in?”

Still no answer. She wasn’t pleased with that. One way or another she’d get her way and talk to him.She suddenly had an idea of how to get inside. She went back onto the deck and made her way to the back of the upper level, finding herself above the garden. There she found what she was hoping for. The part of the ground/ceiling was retracted, so the sun or rain could enter the garden. Without thinking twice she jumped down. As she was about to land on the floor she floated.

“What are you doing?” asked Rick behind her, sitting behind his desk.
“I came to talk to you.”
“If I wanted to talk I would have opened the door.”
“Well I’m here now so you don’t really have a choice.”

One of Rick's eyebrows raised and Nami started floating towards the hole in the ceiling.

“Wait! Please! I just wanted to help! Please!” yelled Nami.
“Help with what?” he asked as he stopped pulling her up.
“Robin!”
“Ugh! Always meddling with my love life.” he replied, making her go up again.
“OUR love life.”

That made him stop.

“She’s not wrong. Robin and I may be married but Nami is a part of us. Pulling myself away affects her too. Goddess, I have to make some lies about the situation now.”

He pulled her down to the floor and attracted a chair and put it in front of his desk.

“Alright, you want to talk? Talk.”

Nami went to the chair and sat down and began talking.

“I don’t know where to start…”

“The beginning perhaps?”
“Haha, very clever.”
“...”
“So… everyone is more or less a bit worried about you, since except Brook, no one saw you in three days after… you came back.”
“Let me guess, Robin is rather less than more?”
“...Yes, she thinks you’re just upset.”
“And that I’m stupid of being jealous of a “innocent” kid?” replied Rick making air quotes when he said innocent.
“Not so innocent but yeah.”
“Oh?! You’re aware?! That’s a miracle!” said Rick, mocking her.
“Was it Franky, Sanji or Brook? No, no, no to break through your delusions all three of them must have banded up together.”
“How do you…” answered Nami but was interrupted.
“They’re perverts. Not of the same kind mind you; Franky is an exibitionist, Brook an underwear addict and Sanji… is actually the standard pervert.”

Nami never thought about it but now that it was said she agreed it was a fitting description.

“They explained to me, and at first I didn’t understand but then they showed me his true nature and… well I can’t unsee it now. Who could have imagined an 8 year old child could be… acting like that?”
“Like an adult?”
“Yes.”
“Me, Robin… you.”
“What?” asked Nami, confused.
“Robin became wanted at 8 and had to learn fast the ways of the adult world. At 8 I already killed almost a dozen pirates, lived alone in a forest for 2 years, lived alone on an hostile island for 6 months, almost died twice with one of them during a fight against Golden Shiki.”
“...”
“You yourself are aware.” said Rick, referring to her own past.
“...”
“Just because they’re kids doesn’t mean they’re just kids. Momonosuke understands a woman’s curves. Being a child doesn’t absolve him of the consequences of his actions especially when he knows what he’s doing and what those consequences are.
“I know… I don’t fault you for getting mad at him but was it necessary to act like you did?”
“Remember his face?”
“Can’t forget it…”
“What would you have done if it wasn’t Robin but one of your mikan trees or a bag of your gold and he showed you that face?”
“...”
“Well?”
“I would have punched him so hard he would have flown off the Sunny.” confesses Nami.
“But I wouldn’t have killed him!” she added.
“In normal circumstances neither would I have.”
“Normal cir… What do you mean?” asked Nami, as she frowned, not understanding.
“A lot happened when I left.”
“...”
“...”
“Don’t let me stop you from talking about it.” said Nami.
“You may have guessed already, but I was successful. Just as he had said, Vegapunk found a way to fix my body.”
“Considering the time you have left, yes.”

“Indeed With his previous body’s life span he would have died a week ago, give or take a few days.

“Which is great news but not as great as we thought?”
“You’re correct. As for my life span, it’s normal now.”
“Good.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Ugh! Will you spill what’s wrong already?!” said Nami, who had enough.
“I can use Haki.”
“I don’t see how it’s a problem, it’s quite neat actually.”

Rick just sighed and began to explain the problem he was now facing.


~~~~~~

“That’s not good.” said Nami, worried.
“No shit!”
“Can’t Vegapunk do something?”
“He isn’t even aware and left for who knows where.”
“To think the sea devil wasn’t just a myth…And every time you get angry he tries to take over?”
“No.”
“No? But you said.”
“I said he used my anger, but I think he can just use all negative emotions. I mean in normal time I would just have sent Momonosuke flying but…”
“But…” repeated Nami in understanding.
“He just… channeled everything I’ve been suppressing. My anger, my frustration, my pain…” he said without giving any details.

Nami got up from her chair and went behind him pulling his head into her breasts.

“Talk to me.” she said in a comforting tone.
“I… took a detour to meet my daughter.” he confessed, making Nami’s eyes go wide. She did keep silent though, not wanting to interrupt his unburderning of his feelings. That’s what he needed the most right now.
“Nami she’s… goddess, I don’t think I have ever seen something so cute. Her silky black hair, just like her mother. Actually everything is her mother, everything but her eyes. She got them from me.” said Rick with a smile and looking nowhere. The redhead began to put a hand through his hair and make some back and forth.
“She’s going to grow up into a beautiful woman. More beautiful than her mother and she will break even more hearts. And… And… I’ll never be there to witness it. To raise her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“She lives on the island of women where no men are allowed.”
“Her mother is their leader, maybe she can...”
“Haaa yes! Hancock. That’s a whole other problem. She’s obsessed with me! I didn’t mind it though and it’s not like I don’t love her back, but I could physically hurt her all I want if she'd just love it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Nami.

Quickly, Rick related what happened during the night he spent with Hancock. To say that Nami was a bit shocked would be an understatement.

“She took all of it?”
“That’s what you remember out of all I’ve said?”
“Yes. I mean everything else, she loved it, she told you as much.”
“Nami, I hurt her.”
“And she loved it, so see no problem.”
“I treated her like a celestial dragon would have!”
“...”
“I don’t mind inflicting pain Nami, Goddess knows I do it often with Robin… And the degradation? We do it half the time. But doing it to Hancock… and the way she reacted to it…”
“Just talk with her about it.”
“That’s the problem, I can’t, because she would just say what she thinks I want.”
“...”

Nami didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing and just kept on letting her fingers roam through his hair.

“All I wished during the journey back was to jump into Robin’s arms and just cuddle.To just forget for a moment everything…”
“And you found a perverted kid taking advantage of Robin without her even knowing about it.”
“I just…”
“Blew up, and with the sea devil, it didn’t make things better.”
“No… But what hurt the most is that Robin was angry with me.”
“You felt betrayed because she didn’t acknowledge you were protecting her.”
“... yes.”
“But she didn’t know.”
“I know! But it hurt nonetheless, Nami. I know I was just being stupid, that she loves me and all but…”
“But?” asked Nami the end of his sentence not coming.
“Trust is a luxury for me, Nami.”
“I know. You told me back on Skypiea.”
“I just felt the same way I felt when I found out about the celestial dragon all those years ago.”

Nami couldn’t say anything. That was a serious matter. Garp, Sengoku and Tsuru had hidden the truth of the navy, the world government, and the celestial dragon for more than half his life from him. She couldn’t imagine how he must have felt at that moment, that most of your life was just a lie your family kept on… And have felt the same way for Robin… The situation was worse than she thought.

“Okay, maybe I went a bit far with the lies there… On the other hand I can’t just say that I hate Momonosuke and was just jealous… Well I guess I have to roll with it now.”

“It’s our first fight…”
“What?”
“Robin and I, we never fought before.”
“Never ?”
“Well, there was Enies Lobby but we weren’t dating then. Otherwise we never fought. We always have been on the same wavelength or if not accepted the other’s… whatever.”
“...”
“...”
“I’ll talk to Robin.”
“And say what exactly?!”
“The truth about Momonosuke.”
“...”
“The two of you, fighting… It’s not right.”

She went from behind him to his side and kissed him lovingly.

“Everything’s going to be fine in no time.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t you have a feeling about it?”
“Apparently when it’s about Robin I don’t. Don’t bother, ask Robin.” said Rick as Nami was about to ask.

Nami nodded and kissed one last time before leaving the garden through the door.

~~~~~

“Is he still upset?”
“No.”
“Does that mean my husband will be back in our bed tonight?”
“Don’t count on it, at least not for a while.”

Robin frowned, she didn’t like what she heard.

“I don’t understand. He has never been upset for that long before, especially for something as trivial.”
“He’s not upset Robin, he’s hurt.”
“Momonosuke is just a child, there is no reason for him to be hurt because of his bout of jealousy.”
“That’s not… Look, there is much more going on than what happened the other day.”
“He had some trouble during his journey?” Robin asked, standing up for her seat. She immediately started to walk to the garden when Nami caught her arm and held her back.
“Not now.”
“Nami, he’s…”
“Not. Now. You need to see something first, then we’ll talk. Afterwards you can go to him, but I’m warning you he’s not ready yet.”

Robin was looking at Nami’s eyes and saw how serious she was.

“... What do I need to see?”
“Franky, Sanji, Brook!” called out the redhead.
“Yeah?”
“Nami-swaaaan?”
“Yohohoho! Are you finally showing me your panties?” said Brook showing up by Nami’s side out of nowhere.
“NO YOU PERVERT!” she yelled love punching him onto the deck.
“Can you show Robin what you showed me this morning?”
“Sure.” Replied Franky.

Nami turned to Robin and signaled her to follow them, which she did. Afterwards Nami had called Momonosuke, who was playing with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, to her. Just life a few hours earlier Brook played his role and everything happened the same. If Robin was shocked her face didn’t show any sign of it.

“Fufufu…”
“Robin?”
“Robin-chwan?”
“Momonosuke… you naughty boy. Fufufu…”

If Franky had not been a cyborg he would have had cold sweat running down his back. Sanji definitely did.
“Playing innocent and making me mad at the man I love… Fufufu…”

She raised her hands and in less than a second Momonosuke was pulled from Nami’s lap and suspended in the air. Robin had bloomed harms and hands and caught his four limbs.

“M-miss Ro-Robin?” said the little goblin scared.

Robin walked toward him and stopped a foot away.

“Naughty boys are punished, Momonosuke.”
“I-I- didn’t do anything wr-wrong.”
“The game is over, you got caught, Momonosuke.” said Nami.
“Brook!” called out Robin in a cold voice.
“Yes?”
“Cut his top knot please.”
“Yohohoho, with pleasure.”
“Kin’emon help!” cried out the little goblin as his face pale.

The samourai was watching on the side, so did everyone actually and waited.

“Momonosuke, every action has consequences. None can escape them. Your behavior was a disgrace, now accept your punishment like a man.”

Momonosuke lowered his head and began to cry. In no time Brook did what Robin had asked of him.

“You’re sleeping and taking a bath with the guys from now on.” stated Nami as she hurried to stop Robin who had already released the lecherous child and was making her way to her husband.

“May that be a lesson you will never forget Momonosuke. Being a child doesn’t absolve you of your wrongdoings. Especially you.” said Kin’emon.

“Franky, what happened?” asked Luffy.
“A bad kid has been punished.”
“What did Momo do?” asked Chopper.
“Hmm..” the cyborg didn’t quite know how to respond to Chopper, fortunately Sanji was there.
“Let’s say… He stole all your cotton candy or meat and ate it right in front of you and he’s acting smug since he’s a kid and you can’t punch him because of it.”
“What?! That’s awful!” cried out Chopper
“Then he deserves it for stealing meat!” said Luffy unhappy.
“Luffy he didn’t… Oh, why do I bother.” said Usopp, giving up.

~~~~~

“Robin, wait!” said Nami catching up to her friend.
“I can’t! He was just…”
“I know, but there are things I need to tell you first, remember?”

Robin stopped. The garden was just at the end of the corridor. She looked at the door then at Nami, then back to the door. She lowered her head and nodded. The redhead took her by the hand and led her to the married couple’s room, though for the past three days had been just Robin’s. They sat on the bed and Nami began to talk.