Boa Hancock
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Chapter 4
"Nico Robin, please be my wife."
Time seemed to stop for an instant. Robin, for the first time in years, had nothing to say. Franky looked like he had been given the shock of his life. Aokiji, despite his statement of being nervous, looked as calm and collected as ever.
"Well? Don't just freeze there, I haven't done anything yet," he joked. The other two didn't seem to get it though, since traces of shock were still visible on their faces.
Franky was the first to recover. "That's super outrageous there, Iceman. You expect someone you chased for over 20 years to just say okay right now?"
Aokiji turned his attention to Franky. Being retired didn't mean he didn't generate such an intense aura, but it was enough to make Franky flinch. Nevertheless, he continued on with his spiel.
"It also doesn't make sense that you would just tell her that and be super confident about the result. I mean, you haven't been together for 2 decades now. Sure, we haven't been together with Nico Robin for much time too, but I say I've known her more than you -"
"WRONG, CUTTY FLAM!" Aokiji countered, raising his voice and banging the table. They were attracting looks from the flustered customers now, and the owner was nervously trying to think of a way to stop the two from fighting inside his cafe. It was a daunting task though, since one of them looked like a tough brawler and the other looked like a deadly assassin.
"I HAVE BEEN WITH HER FAR LONGER THAN YOU HAD EVER BEEN. WHERE WERE YOU WHEN SHE WAS IN OHARA?! I HAD BEEN OBSERVING HER EVER SINCE SHE WAS 8! I AM THE REASON SHE'S ALIVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I GAVE HER A CHANCE, BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK WHAT AKAINU DID WAS RIGHT, BECAUSE I LOVED HER!"
The retired admiral wheezed a bit after that. Franky looked lost, he was never good with words. Robin was the same as ever, face impassive, having recovered from the earlier shock. Having calmed down, the two arguing men sat down on their respective seats. People were starting to recognize them now, no thanks to Aokiji's outburst earlier.
Franky acted first. Scratching his head, he drank his beverage to the last drop, scratched his head, and laughed awkwardly. His eyes betrayed the immense hurt his heart had sustained after that.
"Hahaha, well, sorry for the intrusion," Franky laughed. "I didn't know this was a pre-arranged meeting. Damn, this was so un-super of me. I should get going now, I have to meet up with my bros and Bakaburg, that idiot."
The cyborg started walking towards the door, but a hand stopped him, gently tugging on his shirt.
"Please, don't go."
Despite her mature air, Robin managed to look perfectly like a pleading little girl. Franky looked torn at her request, but he finally sat back down.
"Ufufu. Look, like the gentlemen you two are, make up," giggled the archaeologist. "I'm flattered and all by your declarations and implications of feelings for me, but can we please stop trying to trash the place? Especially you Aokiji-san, your Haki is leaking all over the place."
It was true, the chairs and marble flooring were cracking. Some people lost consciousness, while the others that didn't were quaking in fear. The two men apologized, and went outside.
It was fully nighttime at this point. The waterways were illuminated by unearthly street lamps, one of Victorian design. People were starting to go home, proof of a hard day's work done. Untying her rented Yagara bull, she turned to face them, letting her devil fruit do the work.
"To tell the truth, I'm really nervous myself," confessed Robin, smiling. The two powerhouses looked apprehensive, and with that she continued. "I have to clear everything now though. Luffy taught me that. It makes no sense to leave problems to fester like boils."
"First, to Aokiji-san. True, I liked you before when I was young, I really did. However, I have a new person I love now." Aokiji smiled sadly. He had been preparing himself for the worst, and he was glad he did.
"Who might that be, Nico Robin?" asked Franky, genuinely confused. "It's that cook right? You can tell me, we're nakama, right?"
Robin, being the perceptive woman that she is, didn't miss the touch of worry and anxiety at his voice. "Ufufu, I'm not telling you until you figure it out." With such a teasing tone, Franky felt his hopes skyrocket. That is, until the unthinkable happened.
"ROBIN!"
"NO!"
The two male voices synchronized as she was taken away from them, right before their very eyes. A gunshot rang out, and it hit Aokiji. Normally it would just phase through him, but this time it didn't.
"Argh!"
"Iceman!"
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Several minutes later, they walked out of a clinic. Water Seven never had a hospital in the first place, and Aokiji gingerly placed his hand over his right shoulder. The doctor told him he was hit by a frangible bullet made of Sea Stone, and they needed to go to another city, the Town of the Spring Queen, St. Poplar, for treatment.
"Arara, looks like I'm gonna be out of commission for a while."
Franky looked on. He never realized that Aokiji, the former Marine Admiral, would get injured by such a silly bullet.
"Where are we going now, Cutty Flam? Your girl just got kidnapped, but I'm surprised you're calm about all this."
"She's been kidnapped before, we'll rescue her again," replied Franky, flexing his biceps. "Of course, I'm not bothering Mugiwara and the others anymore. I have to solve this by myself."
"What? Surely you don't say you know where she was taken?"
"I have a clue. When she was being taken, I recall hearing something like that bastard Lucci's technique, but other than that none."
"So where are we really going?"
Franky turned on his Nipple Lights while hopping on to the Yagara bull.
"To the person I was really supposed to meet in the first place."
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone blah blah.
A/N: Things are starting to get HEAVY! Expect more.
EDIT: Changed some things here.
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