One Piece (Love Story) [Part One]

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three [Rewritten]

-Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three-

"Don't listen to her, Zoro—you're awesome!" Chopper innocently praised, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, clearly the best" I sarcastically agreed. "Yes?" I innocently smiled at the glare the swordsman shot me.

"Whatever..." he grumbled with a huff. "That vine looks sturdy" he suddenly remarked, quick to move on as he motioned toward a vine wrapped tightly around the branch of a tree across the way.

"Ah, an excellent idea" Robin smiled. "Mind if I tag along?" she asked.

"Sure, as long as you promise not to slow me down" Zoro shrugged, not really caring all that much one way or the other if she joined him.

"Guess I'll tag along too" I lazily shrugged. "Beats just wasting time here with nothing to do" I admitted, not really too keen on the idea of just staying here with nothing to really do nor was I comfortable with the idea of just letting someone like Zoro wander off into the woods on his own.

"Wait a minute—where do you two think you're going?" Nami asked, narrowing her eyes as she frantically looked between both Robin and me.

"Look at this" Robin smiled as she motioned toward the altar. "At least a thousand years have passed since this altar was built" she explained as she lightly traced her fingertips over the stone of the altar.

"A thousand years?" Nami and Chopper echoed.

"That long ago, huh?" I hummed in thought. "Seems about right, I don't think sacrificial rituals like this are even done anymore in most parts of the world" I said.

"The sense of history here is amazing, it gives me chills—you feel it?" Robin asked, an excited gleam in her eyes as she looked at us as if hoping we'd understand what exactly it was she was feeling. "A place as ancient as this is sure to be filled with all kinds of old relics, imagine all the values we can discover" she continued, that excited gleam in her eyes only growing brighter as she now thought about all the wonderful things she could discover about this place's rich history while exploring. "Just think, the possibilities are endless."

"In that case, I'll join you!" Nami suddenly decided, a familiar gleam in her own eyes after taking a moment to really think about what it was the older woman was saying. Though...it was clear that her thoughts were more on the idea of treasure instead of history—the word "values" having most likely stuck out to her while the raven-haired woman was speaking.

"Nami, I thought you were too scared?" Chopper questioned, confused by the ginger's sudden change in heart.

"It's for history!" Nami was quick to claim as if that was really the reason why she wanted to come with the rest of us.

"And treasure..." I quietly added with the roll of my eyes.

"What was that, Skylar?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing" I hummed, giving her my best smile that she only returned with a suspicious glare as if to show me that she didn't really believe me. Once we were all set and ready to go after deciding who was going and who was staying, I watched as Robin set to work on untangling the vine that Zoro had pointed out earlier from the tree branch it was wrapped around before tossing it over to the swordsman who effortlessly caught it.

"That work for you?" she asked as Zoro gave the vine a firm yank as if to make sure that it was secure and wouldn't snap the minute he swung across before nodding. Once he was pleased to know that it could most likely hold his weight, he cleared his throat and ran forward—releasing a loud, deep yell in the process as he swung across to the other side.