A/N: Hi guys. I'm behind again on fanfictioneering -work is a kick in the ass and as much as I'd like to sit down and write when I get home, I end up watching tv and not wanting to do anything. So here we finally are. I apologize for not updating as much as should.
If you'd like to follow a fic I find myself updating more frequently, go and follow Fire and Steel, which is currently in Alabasta and features more exposure from the Whitebeard Pirates.
II
An Intriguing Woman
Cassanova was perched on the top of a rooftop, quietly watching the tall, black leather clad woman stride the streets of Water Seven in a somewhat urgent manner. Just moments ago, he had spotted her following a tall, large man in a Venetian mask, wearing a long, billowing robe to, essentially, cover his identity. They had disappeared into a dark corner for several moments until she had popped out back in the open once more. The man was someone Cassanova would have to keep in mind. With all the rumors and ambiguity swirling about Nico Robin and her past, the man would be someone he wouldn't want to forget.
She crossed in front of the building where he was stationed. It was time to make his entrance.
Hopping freely down from the rooftop, he landed gracefully in front of the female pirate, give a small nod as he did so. She looked surprised momentarily but did an excellent job of covering her reaction. He was taller than almost all the women he knew, but Nico Robin was close second to him. His eyes were barely a few inches above hers. She looked nothing like her wanted poster, but that should've been a given. Nico Robin had grown into a beautiful woman, and the young man noticed this, a look of genuine surprise on his face.
"Excuse me," Cassanova grinned in spite of himself. "You're Nico Robin, aren't you?"
There was a small spark of alarm in her eyes and she hesitated. "May I know who I am speaking to?"
"I'm not a marine, if you're worried," he said, noticing her relax at this ever so slightly. "I've just read a lot about you."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Poneglyphs," he said. "You can read them, can't you?"
At this, she began walking past him at a fast pace, wishing to break the distance between him and her as fast as possible.
"I merely wish to understand the true history," she spat, whirling around in her contained, yet fiery anger. "I wouldn't expect people like you to understand."
"I don't want to unleash it," he said, speaking in her direction. She stopped, curiosity getting the best of her. "I only want to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."
Nico Robin turned, surprised at the words coming out from his mouth. "You want to protect it?"
"I want to destroy it," Cassanova said, lying through his teeth. It was partial truth, he shrugged off. If something went wrong, that was when he'd destroy it. But the weapon was too powerful to let go. He needed it. Law needed it. They needed it to end Doflamingo. Neither of them was powerful enough to stop the Warlord from wreaking havoc, and Pluton was the key to ending it once and for all.
"Destroy it?" the woman looked suspicious. "All men want power. I cannot possibly believe that lie."
He smiled. "You'll only have to believe me."
She gave him a long look.
"Your crew is going to be here for some time," he said, brushing a piece of lint off his shoulder. "Your ship is irreparable, and the shipwrights must build you a new one. I suggest that during that time of repair, you and I get to know each other better. I think we both have valuable information that the other wants."
"What could you have that I would want?"
He moved to leave, brushing past her, shoulder barely touching hers. "Wano Kuni. Kozuki-ke. Road Poneglyphs."
Her hair whipped around as she stared after the man. "What was that?"
He raised his arm in farewell. "You heard me. If you want to talk, I'll be here at the Galley-La Company. I look forward to seeing you there."
xxx
"You talked to Nico Robin?!" the mayor exclaimed. "What did she say?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Cassanova brushed a silver lock out of his eyes. "It wasn't anything I didn't expect."
"What did she say?" Iceberg rubbed his temples. It was getting dark, and something that he had had at dinner did not agree with his stomach. "You're always so ambiguous."
"I'm just allowing for the element of surprise," the younger man said, leaning forward. "She's an intriguing woman."
"An intriguing woman," Iceberg repeated, absentmindedly petting his white mouse Tyrannosaurus, which sat in his pocket. "That's given, I guess. She's been running her whole life because of the knowledge she has. Did she say anything about Pluton?"
"No. I don't think she's the type to use that weapon. I believe she just wants to understand knowledge." Cassanova absentmindedly picked at a hangnail on his forefinger, still engrossed in his thoughts of the older woman. "I'm interested in her."
"Wahahaha," Iceberg laughed. "Ahahaha!"
"What's so funny?" Cassanova asked, taken aback.
"You've never really taken an interest in anything before," the mayor rested his hands behind his head. "It's nice to see you finally invested in something."
The younger man chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess so. It's just that she's the key to everything. We're so close-"
Iceberg's face grew stern. "When you say we're close, you don't mean that we're close to unleashing it, do you? I thought you said you would help keep it out of the wrong hands."
"Y-Yes," Cassanova swallowed. "That's what I mean. I mean as in we're close to finally keeping it away from people who will use it for evil."
"Nmah," Iceberg said, shuffling his papers on his desk and not thinking much about the man's odd reaction. "That is, if she can be used to read the blueprints. Which will never be found."
The blueprints…! Cassanova thought. He still hadn't found out a way to get his hands on those things. In all his two years here, there had been no hint whatsoever of the blueprints he knew Iceberg to be holding. His nails dug into the palms of his hands. He was this close! He would prove to Law that he was capable. He would prove to Law, to Cora-san, to the world, that they were a force to be reckoned with. They would make Doflamingo shake in his feathered coat.
"Kid." The mayor's voice shook him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry," Cassanova smiled sheepishly. "I got caught up in my thoughts."
"Get some rest," Iceberg said. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow. We need to find out all we can from Nico Robin. Her motives, her will and her beliefs. She cannot awaken the great weapon. She must be stopped at all costs."
"Of course, Iceberg-san," Cassanova bowed himself out of the room and shut it softly behind him.
He sighed. This was going to take a lot more work than he thought.
xxx
Cassanova tossed and turned in his bed, bare chest gleaming with sweat. For hours on end, the young man had drifted in and out of sleep, barely getting enough shut eye for the next day. Something was bothering him. His mind could not rest. All he could think about was that tall, beautiful, dark-haired woman. Her tall figure eluded his dreams, slipping in and out of his consciousness.
"Show me! Show me the secret of Pluton!" he begged her.
"I can't help you." The woman raised a pistol to his chest. "Good bye."
"Oi! Nico Robin!"
BANG!
Cassanova fell off his bed, hitting the floor face first. He scrambled to his feet, massaging his chest, still feeling the aftereffects of the dream. He sighed and brushed himself off. That gunshot had sounded awfully realistic. Although no bullet had pierced him, and there seemed to be no intruders, he still felt a slight bristle on the back of his neck. Cassanova leaned his head out the entryway to his bedroom. He had learned by now, not to mistrust his own instincts.
He tread lightly down the hardwood hallway, the cold planks of wood soothing to his hot feet. The moonlight was bright tonight. The man noticed it peering through the cracks of the glass window, shining with some sort of childlike glee. The moon must be a show off, he thought.
A slight creak in the wood, not coming from under his own footsteps made him pause. The mayor's room was just a few paces away from him, and it was most likely that the sound was Iceberg, still hard at work, but it made his hair stand on end. Cassanova tried his best to make no sound as he moved closer to the door, finding the best possible ways to place his feet on the slabs of wood.
Finally reaching the ornately carved door, he pressed his hand to the cold handle and quietly opened the door. Making sure not to disturb Iceberg, he craned his neck through the door, taking care not to scare the mayor, when he saw Iceberg himself, lying face down on the floor in his own blood.
A yell tore from Casanova's throat as he stumbled backwards, shocked. Who would do such a thing? The mayor of Water Seven, who was loved by all the people, shot in his own home? Cassanova couldn't believe it. Trying to regain his composure, he crawled towards the man, rolling his limp body over and propping him up. There was no doubt about it, this was Iceberg's own blood.
"Iceberg-san?" Cassanova croaked. The man's eyes were closed but there was no way he could be dead -right?
"Cassanova," groaned Iceberg. This took the young man back. The mayor had almost never used his name, only opting to call him "kid" or "brat". "Get Kalifa. Now."
"Hai!" Cassanova gently set Iceberg back down on the floor and rushed down the hall, out the door to the secretary's house, not far from there.
He had never cared for this man, as he was only a tool in himself and Law's plan, yet inexplicable worry filled his chest. Had he grown to care for the mayor? The closest thing to a father figure that he had? He shut his eyes tight as he ran, shaking the troublesome thoughts from his mind as he pounded his fist on Kalifa's door.
"Kalifa, wake up!" he roared, pounding away at the door like an animal. "Kalifa! Wake! Up!"
An irritated, but slightly less uptight Kalifa appeared at the door, her hair loosely falling around her face instead of it's closely drawn back bun, and a light pink robe wrapped tightly around her body. Her face was flushed as she saw the young man looking rather surprised at her appearance and snapped at him.
"What do you want, Cassanova?"
"Iceberg-san!" he started urgently, and Kalifa's face changed.
"Did something happen to Iceberg-san?" she asked intently, all business now.
"Iceberg-san's been shot in his own room!" Cassanova shouted. "He needs help, come with me quick!"
xxx
The next day was a blur. Cassanova sat in the lobby alone as he heard the roar of the press and the public outside of Iceberg's house. In his hand was the receiver of a Den Den Mushi. There was a grim look on his face as he rung it once, and then twice, knowing that regardless of his tone, the man on the other side was going to panic.
"Oh, Iceberg-san!" a hearty laugh was heard across the line. "What do I owe the pleasure of talking to you this early in the morning?"
"Paulie," Cassanova said quietly. "It's me."
"Oh, Cassanova?" the shipwright's voice changed, sounding slightly embarrassed at being so happy that he thought Iceberg had called. "Do you need something?"
"Don't freak out when I tell you this, okay?" he said slowly, and then took a deep breath. "Last night, Iceberg-san was shot in shot in his house."
"ICEBERG-SAN WAS SHOT IN HIS OWN HOUSE?!" Paulie roared. "Quit messing around brat! Was he killed?! And anyways, he's not the type to create animosity against him-"
"Hey, just wait a second alright?" Cassanova cut across him. "Listen to me!"
The man on the other end grew silent and Cassanova sighed, starting up again. "I found him lying in a pool of blood. He's still in a comatose state and isn't conscious. Anyways, just get to headquarters, quick!"
Gatchan.
"Cass! Where's Paulie?" a friendly voice echoed across the lobby.
Cassanova looked up to see Kaku walking towards him in the same orange jacket he wore every day. "I just called him. He's coming."
"What a mess," Cassanova sighed and sat down. "The entire city is in a panic. Without Iceberg, it's the end of the Galley-La Company, and Water Seven to boot."
Kaku nodded. "The reporters are causing a ruckus right outside headquarter doors."
"Even though we're the ones who want to know what the hell is going on," Cassanova muttered.
"It looks like there was a struggle inside, but no evidence of any valuables stolen," Lulu said, walking towards the two of them, rubbing at the always pointed part in his hair. "They're just finishing up forensics now."
"If it wasn't a robbery, then why would anyone want to do this to Iceberg-san?" Kaku wondered aloud.
"The forensics team said that there was no evidence the locks to the office had been open from the outside," Lulu said. "So you're off the hook Cassanova."
"I told you, the door was already open from the inside when I found him!" the young man burst.
"I know, I know," Lulu patted his shoulder to get him to sit back down. "They just don't want to take all precautions."
"So the incident occurred in a room that no one could have entered," Kaku mused.
Lulu nodded. "The only clue they found was an ordinary mask you could find anywhere."
"Mask?" Cassanova said.
The mask had struck a memory earlier last evening. There was a masked man following Nico Robin as he had watched her from above. Could she have done it? He scratched his brow as he recalled his conversation with her.
"I don't want to unleash it," he said, speaking in her direction. She stopped, curiosity getting the best of her. "I only want to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."
Nico Robin turned, surprised at the words coming out from his mouth. "You want to protect it?"
"I want to destroy it," Cassanova said.
"Destroy it?" the woman looked suspicious. "All men want power. I cannot possibly believe that lie."
He smiled. "You'll only have to believe me."
From the looks of her reaction, he had to believe that she didn't want the power that Pluton possessed. And knowing how twisted the World Government could make things sound, he doubted even more that she was the real culprit behind the entire thing. It was too easy.
Cassanova leaned forward, rubbing his tired eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if this was the government's doing."
"Cassanova!" Kaku said, surprised. "What are you saying?"
"Corgi," he said, recalling the image of a heavyset man with blond hair, sideburns and mustache. He was a regular visitor to Water Seven, and, as Iceberg had confided in Cassanova later, vying for the blueprints to Pluton. "Every time he comes, he talks to Iceberg-san, gets rejected, and then leaves in a huff." The man shifted. "I don't know what they talk about, but the government could've done this in retaliation."
"You should watch what you say about the government, Cass," Kaku warned. "If anyone hears you, it won't be taken lightly."
"That's what this is all about," Cassanova muttered. "They don't let things go."
Heavy bootsteps echoed into the hallway and the three of them looked up to Paulie stalking into headquarters with a scary look on his face.
"Lighten up Paulie," Lulu said, patting the other shipwright on the shoulder. "Iceberg-san isn't going to die."
"You say that now," he growled, chewing on his cigars.
"We have to think positively," Kaku smiled. "If we don't we'll lose hope."
Another pair of footsteps, heels from the sound of it, walked into the lobby once more.
"Kalifa," Paulie said.
"Please, come in quietly," the secretary said, her hands resting on her glasses.
Paulie's face changed immediately from a grim scowl to overjoyed happiness. "That means-!"
"Iceberg-san has just regained consciousness," Kalifa said, eyes still red from crying.
"That's great news!" the three men cheered, all smiles now.
Kaku stood up, grinning from ear to ear. "That's really great news!"
xxx
"Iceberg-san!" Paulie said joyfully, sitting on the chair closest to the mayor.
"Nmah. Sorry for worrying you all."
Cassanova stood off to the side slightly, behind Kaku and Lulu, trying not to show his relief at the mayor being well. He wasn't a man of many words, and Iceberg and he had not exchanged terms of endearment ever. Cassanova did not want the man to read his emotions. Despite being allies, it was still a dangerous game the young man was playing, and he'd played it well for two years. The need to fill the gap in his life didn't need to come into play now. And it couldn't be Iceberg to be the one to fill it. His nails dug into his palms. Iceberg had been like a father to him. Of course he was overjoyed when he heard the news that the mayor was alright. He just didn't need Iceberg to know that he was developing feelings of endearment towards the older man.
However awake he was, Iceberg looked pale. His face was more gaunt than usual and his lips a pale purple. A band aide was wrapped around his head and neck, an iv-drip connected to his wrist and he was tucked in well into his bed sheets.
"I'm just glad you're alive!" Paulie smiled. "Take some time off to rest! The rest of us will keep the shipyard going!"
"There's something else," Iceberg said weakly, turning his head to look at Cassanova. "It's about last night's intruder."
"Oh, we're still investigating that," Paulie said, with a hint of disappointment that he couldn't fulfill Iceberg's wishes to know who the perpetrators were.
"No, I remember."
Everyone in the room blinked in surprise.
"There were two of them," Iceberg continued. "One was a large man wearing a mask. The other; a tall, raven-haired woman."
A tall, large man in a simple, Venetian mask lead the way, cloak billowing out, exposing his sheer size. Behind him, following him was-
Cassanova drew a breath sharply in shock.
"There can be no mistake," the mayor's eyes bore into Cassanova like hot coals. "Those black eyes."
"Nico Robin," the name slipped from Cassanova's mouth like a stone falling into a well.
There was no way. Sweat dripped from his brow as he scrambled his brain for even a semblance of her insinuating she wished to get a hold of the blueprints.
"I merely wish to understand the true history. I wouldn't expect people like you to understand."
Nico Robin did not have any interest in the great weapon Pluton. He knew that. Then why-?
Iceberg seemed to be asking him the same question, as his eyes still drilled holes into Cassanova's skull. The mayor didn't trust him now. He was sure of it. Because of the unreadable actions of Nico Robin, Iceberg most likely decided that the young man hadn't told him the entire story, or lied, about his encounter with the woman. His plans, his two years were wasted. Cassanova would return to Law, empty handed.
"She's part of the Straw Hat crew," Cassanova said hoarsely, trying to compensate for Iceberg's stare.
"The Straw Hat crew?" Paulie asked. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Kalifa said, adjusting her glasses. "My research confirms it. I asked Lucci to confirm with the government just now."
"Hurrruhoo!" the pigeon on Lucci's shoulder crowed. "Yes. After contacting the government, they confirmed that she is part of the Straw Hat crew hurrruhoo!"
"So they're responsible then, the Straw Hats," Kaku said, folding his arms.
Lulu ground his teeth. "What are they thinking?! Is this their revenge for telling them their ship can't be repaired?"
"We can't know for sure," Kaku countered. "Whatever their motive is, there's no doubt of their guilt-"
"We'll find that out after we bring them in," Paulie cut him off, voice laced with anger. "I don't know what they'll have to say for themselves, but I'll make sure Mugiwara gets what's coming to him!"
"WUUUOOOOHHHHHHH!" an unmistakable yell shook Iceberg's bedroom, and the largest shipwright, Tilestone, came running into the room. "We've got trouble!"
"Your voice is too loud, Tilestone!" the shipwrights yelled back.
"You rude imbeciles!" Kalifa shouted. "Everyone quiet down!"
"WUOH! ICEBERG-SAN! I'M GLAD YOU'RE AWAKE!" Tilestone still shouted.
Paulie, finally getting fed up with the entire thing, swung his fist back and whacked Tilestone right in the middle of his eyes, making him fly out the double doors.
"You're always so damn loud," Paulie said. "It'll worsen his condition!"
"WUUOOHH! YOU'RE RIGHT! SORRY!" Tilestone apologized in the same tone. "OH RIGHT! WHAT I CAME HERE FOR! THERE'S TROUBLE! YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS!"
"Stay out of the room and talk!" Paulie ordered. "You can tell me from there."
"THAT PIRATE WITH THE STRAW HAT FROM YESTERDAY IS FIGHTING WITH FRANKY AT THE NUMBER ONE DOCK AS WE SPEAK! THE WHOLE SHIPYARD IS IN CHAOS!"
"Mugiwara," the pigeon clucked in disapproval. "Iceberg-san!"
Before Iceberg could say any orders, Pailie spoke first.
"That bastard," he growled. "How dare he act so shamelessly!"
Running forward he was followed by Kaku and Lulu, three of whom were followed by Tilestone, scrambling to his shipwrights dashed out of Iceberg's bedroom one by one, the last being Lucci to leave.
"Hurrruhoo! Cass, you aren't coming to dole out some justice?" the pigeon, Lucci, asked.
"No," he replied, wiping the perspiration off his brow. "I'd rather stay behind and check in with Iceberg-san."
"It's up to you, hurrrohoo!" Lucci nodded to Cassanova and left the room.
He watched grimly as the shipwrights ran from Iceberg's room to the No. 1 Dock, regret in his eyes. He turned back to Iceberg, who was staring up into the ceiling, mouth in a thin grimace of pain. Cassanova slumped down onto a chair, putting his face in his hands. He couldn't help but think that they were all making a very hasty, very grave mistake.
Replies to Reviews:
Vergil Leonidas:
I guess we could say three new crewmates -you forgot to add Franky. I'm glad you enjoyed the bit about Pluton. I finally wanted to have a protagonist who is smarter and more adept at things, rather than one who is learning along the journey with Luffy. Of course, Cassanova will learn and get stronger, but he will start out with much more information than the rest of them because of the things he's gone through with Doffy.
C: Well, I finally have a debut fitting for me. Much better than that Dalzeel kid. He was just floating on the ocean-
That's how you were too. You were a washed-up dog.
C: I've got too much class to be a washed-up dog, Author-san.
Sarge1130:
I'm glad you're liking this new edition of the story. I like it too. Can't wait for that Saboady reaction I see.
C: We're actually going to get to Saboady? Wherever that is?
Shoo. Avoid those spoilers you idiot. Don't you want to be surprised by your own story?
C: I write my own story.
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