Ch 96 - I am Who I Am.

"Good morning. My name is Monkey D. Emmy and I am looking for my nakama. Her name is Robin. She has blue eyes, black hair down to here and she's about this tall. Could you please tell me if you have seen her?" Emmy moved her hand to her shoulder and then high up over her head to indicate Robin's height. Her eyes, while with heavy bags growing darker by the minute, shined with anticipation for an answer.

The fishmonger in front of her paused in the middle of hauling a rather large fish out of an icy barrel. "I'm sorry, little girl. I see a lot of people every day. You'll have to be more specific. Do you happen to have a picture?"

"I'm afraid I don't," Emmy said, lowering her head and giving the fishmonger a polite bow, "But if you do see a woman with black hair and blue eyes named Robin, can you please tell her that her nakama are looking for her and they are staying at the Tropical Breeze Inn?"

"I will try," the fishmonger said, and then his smile turned into a frown when he noticed that the girl in front of him was trembling all over. When she righted herself, he saw that her face had a dull, waxy look to it, "Are you...are you feeling okay, little girl?"

"I'm fine. I need to look for my friend," Emmy replied.

The fishmonger narrowed his eyes. "Have you been looking for her all night? That won't do at all. You look like you're about to collapse. Go back to the inn! Get some sleep."

"No. I'm fine," Emmy insisted, "I'm —"

"Going back with me."

Emmy turned in surprise and without missing a beat, Sanji picked up her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm.

"Sanji!"

Sanji patted her hand and then scanned the fishmonger's wares with a swift but careful glance. "Hrmm. You've got some fresh catches here, old man. I'll come back once we have a ship secured. In the meantime, shall we head back, Emmy-chan?"

"I need...I need to find Robin," Emmy insisted.

Just then, a middle-aged woman came racing over towards the fishmonger with tears in her eyes. "Tyree-san! Tyree-san! Did you hear the news?" she asked, "The mayor has been shot!"

"Iceberg-san?!" The fishmonger gasped.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Sanji said and turned Emmy away from the fish.

"But —"

"Emmy-chan," Sanji said in a firm but gentle tone, "I've been out all night waiting by the cape in hopes Robin-chan would return but she has not. Would you please accompany me back to the inn? I'm afraid I'm so tired I might have a hard time finding my way there on my own."

Emmy frowned. "You know I can tell when you're lying."

Sanji smiled. "But you can also tell that I am truly tired. And I can tell you are too. You haven't gotten much rest last night and you need to especially after healing up from all of Usop— from all of those wounds. It would be best for you to have someone else search for Robin-chan now. You are so tired you could be missing clues without realizing it."

"That...That is true," Emmy admitted and she gave a sigh, "I guess we should head back."

"Excellent," Sanji said and then maneuvered her right to the lobby of the inn, "Now then, which floor were we on again?"

Emmy had to shake her head and blink a few times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. How did she not realize that Sanji was already walking her back while they were talking? Maybe she really was tired.

"Emmy-chan? Which floor? I wasn't lying when I said I might have a hard time making my way back," Sanji prompted.

"Oh. Third floor...But...everyone is awake," Emmy said, giving a quick check on her bonds, "So I don't think they're in the room."

"The roof it is," Sanji sighed as he escorted Emmy up the stairwell, "Really, what is the point of renting a room if we are not going to use it? Nami-san will be upset at us for wasting the money."

"Consider it a storage space for all of our stu-Ahhh," Emmy said as she tried to stifle a yawn but failed miserably. Part of her expected Sanji to drop her off at the room to rest, she wouldn't be able to put much of a fight if he did, but she was relieved to be whisked right past the third floor and up to the rooftop.

They found Zoro and Chopper sitting by the railings, overlooking the city skyline, with their captain's silhouette part of the scene as he perched on the roof of a higher building across the street.

"You guys are back!" Chopper exclaimed, "Any sign of Robin?"

Emmy shook her head sadly as they joined the doctor and swordsman by the railing. When she got close enough, Chopper let out a little shriek.

"Ah! Emmy, are you feeling okay?"

"Thought it best to take her directly to you, Chopper," Sanji said as he led her directly to the doctor and even knelt down, pulling her to Chopper's eye level to help his examination, "I think she might be running a fever."

From their seats, both the captain and swordsman turned their heads slightly to get a better look at the first mate but otherwise, remained still.

"You're right, Sanji. Emmy! You shouldn't have stayed out so late," Chopper lectured as he took out a stethoscope from his bag and placed the hearing end on Emmy's heart.

"Where's Nami?" Emmy asked instead.

"She couldn't sit still so she went out when she saw a couple of the shops were starting to open," Zoro said with a scowl, "I told her to go find you and take over for you but I guess she didn't. That woman…"

"Something important must have come up," Emmy said as Chopper wiped her face with a fresh cloth.

"You have a very high temperature. Your body must still be healing from taking on Usopp's wounds. You haven't slept yet, right? Don't you need to sleep after you heal like that? Usopp was so heavily beaten and —"

"Chopper, stop mentioning Usopp," Zoro said curtly and turned his head away.

"Here, drink this," Chopper said, pulling a small green bottle from his bag and giving it to Emmy, "This will help the fever."

"Thank you." Emmy lifted the bottle to her lips and swallowed a sip of the bitter liquid. The bottle had barely left her lips when Nami came bursting onto the roof.

"LUFFY!" she screamed while gasping for breath.

"Nami-san?" Sanji asked.

"This is terrible! The whole town's talking about it. Luffy! Last night, Iceberg-san from the shipyard was shot!"

"Oh yeah. We did hear someone mention someone getting shot..." Sanji said as Luffy turned fully in his seat to face Nami, "But I think they said it was the mayor."

"Iceberg-san is the mayor but he's also the president of the shipbuilding company."

"Ice pops?" Luffy asked.

Nami nodded. "They said that he's unconscious right now."

"Everyone thinks the world of him...Why?" Luffy asked as he got to his feet. "I'm going to go check on him. Emmy, get some rest." With that, he leaped right off the building and down to the street below.

"Wait! Luffy! I'm coming too!" Nami yelled.

"One incident after another," Sanji muttered and then he stuck a cigarette between his lips, "This is making me uneasy. I'm going back out to look for Robin."

"I'll come with you," Chopper said.

"I'll —" Emmy started to say.

"No," Zoro, Chopper, and Sanji said in unison.

"You won't do anyone any good being out there in your state. You'll probably do more harm than good," Zoro said, "Chopper, you can go with Sanji but make sure you stick with him. Considering what has already happened, I think we should all stay in pairs until we figure out what the hell is going on. I'll stay here with Emmy."

"Robin-chan is in the city, Emmy-chan. I know it," Sanji said encouragingly and then giving Zoro a glare to let the swordsman know he did not approve of his brash delivery, "Chopper and I will find her. Leave it to us."

Emmy sagged even more to the floor as her blinks took longer to complete. "Oh...Okay."

"We'll come back if anything comes up," Sanji said.

Emmy tried to nod but her head became too heavy for her to even move. She felt herself pitch forward and was instantly caught by the swordsman. She felt the rumble in his chest as he growled and carried her in his arms towards the door.

"Stop causing trouble, Emmy," he said, "Gah. I'll take her downstairs."

"Be careful! She is a delicate little flower…"

Whatever protests the cook had about the swordsman's treatment was drowned out by the sleep Emmy had been fighting the whole night and the darkness finally took over. She was so exhausted that it was a dreamless sleep. Her mind was too tired to think and her heart was too spent to feel any more.

When she awoke, she found herself still being held by the swordsman but it was much darker and colder. What alarmed her, though, was that Zoro had his sword clenched between his teeth.

"Zoro?"

"Shh!" he hissed, not taking his eyes away from the small opening of light. "Be quiet or else they'll find us."

Emmy looked around her and realized she had been sleeping on his lap hidden behind some large crates in a dark alleyway.

"What...what's going on?!" Emmy asked in an alarmed whisper.

"I'm not sure," Zoro growled, "But we're being chased. Now be quiet! I'll tell you what I know later when it's safe."

"I heard a noise over there! Go check the alley!" a deep voice called and then sounds of running footsteps started to come towards their way.

Zoro cursed but did not miss a beat in getting to his feet, pulling Emmy up to hers as well. She could feel that he was annoyed at her for getting discovered but he didn't voice it as they ran out the other side of the alleyway. Emmy was somewhat surprised to find that the city street was as empty as it was since that early morning. They were in a somewhat busy neighborhood with a thriving market so she had expected to see the street completely vacant with windows and doors boarded heavily up. However, she had no time to dwell on it as Zoro pulled her into another alleyway and they hid behind a building.

The wind was blowing strongly and she could hear the waves in the nearby canals sloshing about almost frantically. As she dared to peek out from behind Zoro towards the street, a page of an errant newspaper tumbled across the cobblestone and struck her right in the face.

"Oh!" she gasped in surprise as she pulled it off and was even more shocked to see a familiar smiling face looking back at her in black ink.

Zoro glared at her and shoved her back behind him. He pressed his finger to his lips just as another round of footsteps went racing by on the street in front of them.

"Check if they went over there! Some of you, go back to the inn. Those pirates' things are still there. They'll have to come back for them eventually," a man barked.

When the footsteps and the chatter faded away once more, the swordsman finally relaxed. "I think the coast is clear. Alright, Emmy. We can talk now."

He turned and was hit by the same newspaper page but this time it was from the force of the first mate and not of the wind.

"Look! Luffy's on the cover!" Emmy replied breathlessly and then took a step back so he could actually see, "Read the article! Attempted assassination of the mayor by the hands of pirates. They think we were behind the attack!"

"Tch. And I thought this place was okay with pirates. Dammit. Well, we'll need to find the others somehow. Chopper should be fine with that idiot cook but didn't Luffy and Nami go to find that Ice-guy? Gah. We can't even leave because we don't even have a ship."

"Merry-san!" Emmy gasped, "If those guys are waiting for us at the inn then they'll definitely have people with Merry-san! They don't know that we've said good-bye to her."

"Huh? Then what are you worried about? We're not going back there anyway."

"But Usopp! He doesn't know and...and..he's going to get in trouble even though…even though..." Emmy's eyes started to well up. "We have to warn Usopp."

Zoro clenched his jaw. "Emmy, he left. He's not our problem anymore."

"He was never a problem!" Emmy shouted indignantly.

"Keep your voice down!"

"Stop talking like Usopp is not our friend!" Emmy continued but lowered her voice anyways, "He made a mistake and he left. He's no longer part of the crew. I understand that but that does not mean I have to stop caring about him. I'm going to go back to Merry-san to find him. He may...may not be our nakama any more…"

Her throat closed and her heart squeezed while voicing that fact aloud.

"...But...But he still deserves to be warned and not get caught up in our mess."

Zoro grabbed Emmy by the arm and he scowled. "Emmy, there are consequences to his actions that Usopp needs to learn for himself. You going after him will probably wound his pride and —"

"There are more important things than pride!" Emmy shouted as she wrenched herself out of the swordsman's grip and then to Zoro's horror, placed her two hands on his chest, and pushed him hard to the ground. Her tears streamed down her face but it did not soften her angered expression, "I may hurt him in some way by offering help but I'd rather him hurt than dead."

They stayed there in silence for a long while until Emmy's breathing became more even and her anger had subsided enough for her to speak in a more calm and even tone. "I can't be as disciplined as you...I wish I could but...I can't just cut away Usopp and Merry-san like that. It's not who I am. I ask that you please respect that. If you still see a problem with me going, then you have every right to tell Luffy."

Zoro sat up in his seat and he let out a long sigh. "You might run into trouble and you're already pretty beat. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I'm fine," Emmy lied. In truth, she couldn't feel anything past her bonds and she knew without even trying that she couldn't even throw a real punch let alone one with her powers. She was worn out.

Zoro gave a grunt. "Go. Also, warn him about the storm."

Emmy blinked. "S-Storm?"

Zoro nodded. "Ah. Heard some people talking about it while you were sleeping. It's why everyone has pretty much packed up and left for the day. There's a big tropical storm coming. Happens often on this island, apparently, so it shouldn't be a big deal but – Oy!"

He called after the first mate but she was already tearing off into the street with a frantic look in her eye.

Merry-san!

As she ran towards the small cape and through the city, Emmy could see the tell-tale signs of trouble brewing up in the skies. The wind was picking up with every new street she ran through and the waters in the canals were churning violently. By the time the Merry was in sight, the waves were crashing against the rocks and exploding salty mist several feet up into the air.

"Uso —"

Emmy could barely let out a cry before she was suddenly pulled behind one of the rocks and a familiar, panicked voice hissed in her ear while a warm and bandaged hand covered her mouth.

"Shhh! They'll hear you!"

Emmy looked up at their former nakama with his back pressed up against the rock and his nose poking out from the side so that he could keep an eye on the ship. Tears started to well up in Emmy's eyes out of sheer relief that Usopp was alive and well. Since they were so close, she could definitely feel his emotions. He was mostly scared...but that was typical of him.

"Looks like this ship has been abandoned! The pirates aren't here. They must still be in the city. Let's go back."

A loud command from the other side of the rock brought Emmy back to reality and she let out a small gasp.

"Shh! These guys are here looking for you guys. I don't know what trouble you guys are in but I don't want those men to cause any more damage to Merry," Usopp hissed.

Emmy nodded in agreement and they waited for the men to leave. Once the coast was clear, they came out from behind the rock and faced each other. With the space between them, Emmy could no longer tell what he was feeling but judging by the frown on his face, he did not seem happy to see her.

"Why are you here, Emmy?"

Emmy bit her lip. "I was trying to come here to warn you that we got into some trouble with the city but I guess I was too late on that. But there's also a storm coming so...I wanted you to know that too so that you can...keep Merry-san...Merry-san…safe."

Emmy's voice trembled and she couldn't even look Usopp in the eye during the last statement. She felt like she had no right to voice her concern over the ship any more. They had left. They had said their goodbyes. There was really no reason for her to be here. She should just go away. She waited for Usopp to tell her that too.

"You shouldn't be here, Emmy."

"I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll leave. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared. Please take care of yourself," Emmy said with a small bow and turned to leave.

"I didn't say you were bothering me. I meant there was no need because I already knew about the storm. You didn't have to come and judging by those men that were here just now, It's not safe for you to be out here."

Emmy stared at Usopp in surprise and saw that he was smiling sadly at her.

"I know I have no right to ask but...how is everyone? How's Lu—"

"Owww! Sorry for interrupting this little date of yours but we're going to super hold you two hostage now."

"Eh?" Emmy and Usopp both cried out in surprise as they were suddenly grabbed by men in black overalls with bandages wrapped around various parts of their limbs and chest.

"Ahhh! The Franky Family!" Usopp yelled as he tried helplessly to stop himself from getting dragged back to the ship, "Emmy, fight them! Make 'em cry! Make 'em beg for your mercy!"

Emmy said nothing. She could not admit to Usopp about her current state because she knew he would blame himself partially for it. She could only watch helplessly as they were both tied to the mast of the ship by the men in overalls and then their boss, the one who declared them as hostages, came up to the deck. He had a metal nose and bright blue hair. He was also flanked by two bikini-clad women with square heads.

"Oh dear," Emmy sighed, which made the man peer at her from over the top of his sunglasses.

"Don't worry, Little Sister. I'm not going to hurt you. Just going to use you as bait to get that Straw Hat here."

"No. It's not that," Emmy said, "It's just after this...Zoro is never going to let me go off on my own again."