piratejournal | [voice] now you're just some zombie that I used to know

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nico robin

[voice] now you're just some zombie that I used to know

The dead seem to be rather lively as of late, but I wonder how the living are faring? I certainly hope you haven't run into someone you used to know. It'd be unfortunate to finally be reunited with someone you lost long ago, only to have to brutally murder them with your own hands.

Is anyone planning on attending the Great Race this year? It's quite a spectacle. If last year is any indication, you'll even get a chance to pay Davy Jones your respects in person, maybe prepare a thank you gift for his generosity in allowing us so many visitors as of late.

[Robin giggles at this, the horrors of the night seeming far away in full daylight.]

Let's make up a wishlist, perhaps if we all work together we can manage to send a message. If you could give any gift to our undead benefactor, what would it be? I think a knife through his blackened, beating heart would adequately show my gratitude. What do you think?

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Damn, Lady Robin, that's quite a mouth you got there. I kinda like your style.

[ahem]

As for the race...not us. At least, I don't really see the point but I'll ask my crew. We didn't do so hot last year, and things are a lot crazier now.

I don't recall swearing...

[Her tone had been curiously bemused, but returns to its normal caliber quickly.]

Maybe it'd be fun to swing by and watch the start of it, anyway.

Maybe so. But all Jones did last year was, what, appear? I remember the ghost ship passin' us near the finish line, though.

The festival, now, that was a good time. I suppose I wouldn't mind another party, even if we just had one. It'll get the stink of zombie out of the sails.

Maybe he's building up to something. He's emptying his locker each night after all, and he was briefly freed. If he's going to do something big, the Great Race would be the best time to make it known, don't you think?

Huh. Hadn't thought of that.

Which begs the question, is it a good idea or a bad idea to be in the front row of that audience?

[If only he could see her grin.]

That depends on whether you're the type that thrives in difficult situations or not. It certainly wouldn't deter my captain.

Heh! Yeah, but your captain's in a class by himself.

True, I been a lot more cautious lately, as captain of my own, but thriving in difficult situations is what I do. Gan Xingba shrinks from no challenge.

I thought not. What's been your most challenging experience thus far?

[hmm that bears some thinking]

Things ain't been easy in this world, that's for sure. These zombies're no picnic. That island with the shrines, man...something appeared and took the form of Orochi, and it was up to me an' Gaius to handle him alone, that was pretty tough. Even the guy who almost knocked me off the cloud island with his magic during the race wasn't easy.

Come to think of it, all those things really do sorta rival fightin' the Serpent King in his demon realm, don't they?

I wouldn't know. The closest I've come is fighting a Crocodile in a Royal Tomb. I'm sorry to report that at the time, it didn't end so well for me.

Crocodiles in tombs? Either your emperor's got bad taste in guardians or that weren't supposed to happen.

The king's name is Nefertari Cobra, so I suspect a discussion of taste would be short-lived indeed. But no, the Crocodile was not a guardian of the country nor the royal family, and he was not meant to be there. That was, to some degree, my fault.

Now you're talkin' in riddles, Lady Robin.

The situation was complicated. But things worked out in the end.

What was the Serpent King like?

Big creepy demon. Really strong. Don't know if he had any kind of personality or whatnot, but he sure did like turning friends and family against each other.

Sounds like an excellent way to create a war. Was he truly a demon, or merely a man with exquisite planning?

Nope - actual demon. Not like Oda callin' himself the Demon King, I mean real livin' demon. Maybe borderin' on a god, even.

[Quite suddenly, Robin sounds a lot more interested.]

You defeated him, I assume?

[he's just happy to actually have attention, so he keeps going]

Yeah, but not without a hell of a struggle. Took three kingdoms plus another six or seven warlords from Wa all together. And then his damn minions tried to resurrect him from the dead, so we had to do it again.

You simply overwhelmed him with that much damage? Or were there other factors in play?

Uh, well. There were strategies. I mean, we had to fight our way into his castle for one thing. But I ain't a strategist, I'm the guy they point at the enemy and say 'go get 'em!' so...it's entirely possible the pack of strategists we had did somethin' behind us while we were fightin'.

Most of it was seein' how many of us it took to whale on him until he went down, though. Every time he knocked somebody down, another jumped in to take their place.

Hmm. Well that doesn't spell very good odds for us now, does it? I wonder if that's how the zombies feel right now. Sending wave after wave at us and we just keep knocking them back, all through the night, but there's always someone new to take their place.

It's a legit strategy - Lu Meng managed to get that much through my thick head. But it's ain't the best one, depending on what you're goin' up against. I seen sheer power get overcome by the right strategy - hell, I been there. I took a hundred men against ten thousand and won, once. But I had a lotta smart guys behind me tellin' me what to do.

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