The sun had nearly set by the time they caught up with the children, and even Usopp who was walking away from the village. The children called out to him, attracting his attention. Needless to say, he was rather surprised to see Luffy alive and well after his plummet over the edge of the cliff but he just laughed it off. The children questioned him about Klahadore but to their surprise he just laughed, saying that he had made the whole thing up. While the children accepted what he said as the undisputed truth, the others were not so convinced even as he sent the children home for the night.
They followed the man to the same beach, and when they arrived the sun had set entirely, sinking below the sea and giving way to a star lit night. "Why'd you lie to the kids?" Luffy asks him, looking down at the sitting man. "You seemed pretty sure of yourself earlier."
"Because I'm a liar," Usopp tells him. "Even when I'm telling the truth no one believes me. I tried to tell Kaya the truth but...bit didn't go well." Usopp lowers his head shamefully. "This village is going to be attacked tomorrow and there's no one that is gonna believe me. I don't know if I can save this village but… even so, I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Usopp stands up quickly, a look of determination on his face that just doesn't quite reach his knocking knees. "I'll protect this village myself if that's what I have to do!"
"Geez, that's so sweet that I think I'm gonna get a cavity," complains Zoro, grinning from ear to ear. "You pushed your crew away to confront these pirates on your own even knowing that you don't stand a chance against them just so they wouldn't get hurt… I can respect that kind of courage."
"Hah, now we're definitely gonna help you!" chirps Luffy, cracking his knuckles loudly.
"Our fathers go back a long way," Haru tells him, smirking a bit. "You need my help? You can always count on it, Usopp."
"Y… You're really gonna help?" Usopp asks them, unsure if he's heard them correctly. "Why?"
"Cause you look absolutely terrified," Luffy, Zoro and Haru tell him in unison, pointing at his still shaking knees.
"I-I don't need your sympathy! If that's all this is then—"
"Not a single one of us would risk our lives for something like that," retorts Zoro bluntly. "We're simply honoring your courage to fight these guys by yourself."
"We don't need any other reason than that," adds Luffy. This earns a grin and a gush of emotion from the sharp-shooter, who goes on and on about how he cannot believe that they're risking their lives to help him which most of them just ignore for the most part. After a bit of questioning Usopp tells them that the only way the pirates can get to the village, and Miss Kaya is to go through a small slope which they would make impossible to do with a well placed oil slick. "That seems pretty easy!"
"It's pretty easy to say… but we'll be fighting a bunch of pirates! The rest will depend on what we can do against them. What can you guys do?"
"Cut."
"Stretch."
"Steal."
"Brawl."
"Good! I know how to hide," Usopp tells them, only to be screamed at by the others. "I-It was just a joke! Relax...!"
The whole slope is covered in it, doused with several barrels of oil to ensure that no one will be able to get up. "That should do it," remarks Haru, sitting on one of the empty barrels. "The only thing that could go wrong is if someone slipped." Luffy laughs in response. They sit in silence, watching the sunrise and waiting for the arrival of Klahadore and his pirates.
"They should be here soon," remarks Zoro, gazing at the rising sun. "The sun's up."
"You're sure this is the right place?"
"Well… they had their meeting here, so I assume this should be the place," reasons Usopp, arms crossed as he stares down the slope.
"That isn't a yes, ya know."
"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Nami suddenly asks them, hands held up to her ears. "It sounds like yelling from somewhere else. You… You don't think the pirates are coming up somewhere else do you?" She turns to look at the sharp shooter. "Is there anywhere similar to this near the village?"
"Similiar to… c-crap! There's a place like this to the north! If they come up there...!"
"How far away?" Haru asks, standing quickly and turning to face him. The man stutters in response, and Haru repeats the question with more urgency, "How far, Usopp?!" He quickly explained that it would only take a few minutes to reach the shore if they ran there. Luffy took off running without hearing another word and Usopp followed immediately after him, leaving Zoro, Nami and Haru to watch them disappearing into the distance. "North shore… isn't that where we left our ships?"
"Wait a second… we did!" shrieks Nami. "My treasure! I left my treasure there! They're gonna take my treasure! We need to—" Before she can finish her sentence, she slips on the oil and reaches out to grab the nearest thing to catch herself. Which just happens to be one of Zoro's swords and results in him being pulled down the slippery slope with her.
"O-Oi, Red! Gimme a hand!" shouts Zoro reaching out just in time for Haru to snag his wrist. Before he can do anything to pull them up, Nami actually climbs up the swordsman and uses him, and then Haru as stepping stones to get back to the unslicked ground. The two slide down the slope right to the bottom without interruption.
"Sorry, but my treasure is in danger! I'm sure the two of you can figure out a way back up!"
"I'm gonna kill her!"
"Now's not really the time for that," Haru tells him, staring up the slope and trying to think of some way to get them back up. Before Haru can even begin to figure out a way up, Zoro charges right up the slope, slipping and sliding on the oil but still managing to get half way up before sliding back down. "Just trying to run up it isn't going to get us anywhere."
"You got a better idea?"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," chuckles the red-head. The two look around for a moment, trying to come up with some way to get up. "There's no hand-holds, and scaling the cliff is outta the question. Maybe—" Before he can finish Zoro goes charging up the slope again, this time using his swords to pierce the stone and claw his way up. "What the...? Oi! Little help!"
"Sorry, Red. At least one of us has gotta go help Luffy! Just try to catch up quickly!" Saying that, Zoro sheathes his swords and charges up the slope to disappear into the forest.
"You son of a bitch!" The red-head charges up the slope as well, but succeeds only in slipping and sliding back down. Again, and again he tries but always with the same result, and all the while the sounds of fighting continue to grow louder and louder in the distance. "Fuck me this is annoying!" Haru growls loudly as he stares at the stone around him. "How the fu—"
"You seem to be in a bit of a jam," calls a voice that Haru recognizes from the top of one of the rocky walls. The red-head looks up towards the woman, who stares down at them calmly. In fact, she appears to be somewhat amused by their situation. She's no longer wearing the cloak, instead, it's some kind of skimpy purple cowgirl outfit, complete with a hat.
"Still taking in the sights, I see." She calmly drops down to the slope, standing across from him with the oil-slick between them. Those questions he's had seem to surface in
"Don't you think that's a good thing for you, Haru?" Before he can respond, she crosses her arms in an "X" in front of her, and a number of additional arms sprout from the ground, interlocking and creating something similar to a bridge. He crosses quickly, needing no further invitation. When he's reached the other side, the arms disappear as easily as they had appeared.
"Looks like I owe you a thanks… again." He intends to be on his way, to go help out the crew but the questions he's had nagging at him since their last meeting just won't let him… at least not yet. "Robin, have we met somewhere before? Why are you even helping me?" Several long moments of silence is his response, and when it becomes absolutely clear she doesn't intend to answer, he simply sighs softly. "Alright. Fine. Suit yourself. Everyone has something they—"
"May I ask you a question?"
"Haah. You know, for someone who doesn't like to answer questions… you certainly ask a lot of 'em." Again, she's silent and the red-head heaves yet another sigh. "Fine. Shoot."
"That scar, on your head… how did you get it?" He reaches up to touch the thin crescent shaped scar just at the edge of his left eye, moving up towards his temple. He searches his memory for a moment before slowly shaking his head in the negative… which is rather strange to him. Usually, he has no problem remembering something.
"I don't remember, it's pretty old. I think...I think I slipped or something like that." He lowers his hand and chuckles a bit. "Actually, I'm surprised you noticed it. It's so faded that no one has ever noticed it before." Robin looks away from him, out to sea in response. "I've answered your question. Feel like answering one of mine, now?" In the distance, the sounds of fighting once again intensify.
"That may have to wait, don't you agree?"
"Huh. Don't think that I'm just gonna let this go. You owe me answers, Nico Robin..."