Hello, all. Here's the next chapter of this fic. This one is quite long, too. I suppose more just needed to be said between the parties here.
Shout out to Angel Zamora for being an Advanced Tier member on my Patreon.
Please enjoy!
Chapter 15
Robin and Lilia! A Twenty Year Meeting!
"This is quite fascinating," Robin said after everything was explained. "So this world-Lilia World-can create multiple different spaces with multiple versions of the same person so you can have several different interactions simultaneously?"
"That is everything in a nutshell," Lilia said. "There's currently three Luffy's and four of me, including myself. Just one of you, just so you know."
"I've heard of reality warping devil fruits. I never encountered any before. What will happen once we leave this place?"
"The memories of our different personalities will merge once Lilia World ends."
"That sounds dangerous for the brain."
"It's like building a tolerance. I couldn't do it with you or your crew, but if you spend some time here like Luffy has, I could easily split you in three or more."
"Well, that does sound promising."
She imagined all of the reading and research she could get done with such a power.
"I'm going to get a big headache when this is done," Luffy complained.
"That does tend to happen," Lilia said, unconcerned. "So, on to business.
"Of course," Robin said. "I assumed you didn't bring me here just to show off."
"I always want to show off. But yes, I've wanted to meet with you for a long time. For twenty years."
"…In the past, I've noticed your unit seemed to be one of the Navy ships that always seemed to get closest to me. I always tried to avoid you people."
"You noticed, huh? I suppose that makes sense given our reputation. Pirates and criminals tend to run for the proverbial hills when our name comes up."
"Can you blame them?"
"No, but I never wanted to hurt or arrest you. I wanted to save you."
Robin narrowed her eyes. Even if this was Luffy's mother, she was also a marine and therefore her enemy regardless of her intentions. "Why?"
"It's a long story. Let's sit." She waved her hand and a small round table appeared out of thin air with three cushioned chairs. "Take a seat. Let's take our time and chat."
They all sat. Luffy and Robin sat next to each other while Lilia sat across from them.
"Firstly, let me say this. I'm glad to finally be meeting you, Nico Robin. I've been eager to see you for a long time."
"So I have heard. Why?"
"Where to begin? Has Luffy told you anything?"
Robin looked confused. So did Luffy. "Tell me what?"
"I've told Luffy-and my other children-my desire to one day find you."
"You have?" Luffy asked.
Lilia shot him a look. "Yes, hon. Don't you remember? I have told you at least a dozen times how I've been searching…"
Luffy's mind went blank.
'There she goes again. Talking about robins. Robin this. Robin that. Sheesh, if she wants a robin so bad, why doesn't she just go to a pet store. I don't even know what a robin looks like. Maybe Robin knows…'
"Oh, Robin!" Luffy blurted, realizing his mistake. "You were always talking about wanting to find Robin! I always thought you wanted a bird, mom!"
Lilia stared at him incredulously as Robin laughed good heartedly. "Why… why would I be talking about a bird?"
"I dunno," he shrugged. "I kind of thought that's why you picked up Yuki."
"No. No it wasn't," she sighed in exasperation. She put her index finger on her forehead to regain her composure. "You and I are going to have a nice discussion about your listening skills later. For now, Robin. Let me tell you some things."
"I'm listening," she said.
"The reason I've been searching for you can be broken down to two people. Dragon. And my mother."
Robin stared, interested. "Your husband and your mother?"
"My dad… and granny?" Luffy said, confused.
"I'll talk about my mother first. Sometime after the destruction of Ohara, my mother made a request of me. Find Nico Robin and protect her. The reason is this. You are my sister."
Luffy's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! Robin's my aunt?!"
Robin, however, looked neither shocked nor amused. She looked almost angry.
"That's a bad joke, She Demon. What are you saying? We have the same mother and father? My mother is Nico Olvia. I'm well aware that's not who your mother is. As for my father, he died when I was a baby. What are you saying? One of our parents had an affair?"
Lilia laughed. "Wouldn't that be interesting? But no. What I mean is we're god sisters. Your mother is my godmother, and mine is yours."
"Godsisters?! How can that be?!"
"Well, both my parents are from West Blue. It's the same with you, right?"
"Yes, I believe so. But you aren't saying you were from Ohara, are you?"
"No, sorry. I was born on Emerald Island. As was my mother. A long time ago, she traveled on an exploration ship. One day she stopped at Ohara where she encountered a certain young girl. Care to guess who?"
"My mother!" Robin gasped.
"Correct. According to my mom, Olvia was a young student studying history at the Oharan University. They met when my mother's ship docked at Ohara. Mine was several years older, but they got close. So close that they would both become the godparents to each other's children."
"…I can't believe it."
"I know it must feel random, but it's the truth. We're godsisters."
"Whoah…" Luffy sighed. "Robin is my aunt."
"That's interesting," Robin said. "But I'm really not sure what to do with that. I mean, I was raised by my aunt and uncle, but they didn't treat me well. I didn't even know my mother's face until the day Ohara was destroyed. So, family to me has really only ever been painful."
Lilia nodded in understanding. "I bet. I wasn't expecting you to instantly love me like a sister. And the fact you had to endure twenty years of being a fugitive since you were a mere child is nothing short of a tragedy. I don't expect you to feel anything like gratitude."
"For the past twenty years, I've been alone. Isolated. Hated. The world wanted me dead, and more than once I was tempted to grant them their wish." Robin let out so much sadness. Lilia might've cried, if she were a more emotional person. But then, Robin smiled wholeheartedly. She wrapped an arm around Luffy and held him like sister would her brother. "But all that's changed now. It took a long time, but I finally found people who will always fight for me and never betray me. It was a long road, but I found my place in this world. And it's as the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates."
Luffy laughed. "You know it!"
"I see," Lilia said, smiling with pride and love at Luffy. "That's great, then. Luffy, well done."
"But this means Robin is my aunt."
"Does it matter?" Robin asked.
"Not really… but I guess it's a bit weird."
"Would it be weird if I asked you to call me "Auntie Robin" from now on?"
"Yes," Luffy said in a dead pan expression. The two other women laughed.
"Well, as I expected, the fact we're connected via our mothers isn't a huge revelation for you. That's why I started with it. However, I'm sure what I'm about to say next will evoke a more powerful reaction from you," Lilia said in a mysterious voice.
"What are you going to say?" Robin asked, feeling anxious.
"My mother. These days she goes by Aura D. Kathlea, but before she married my old man, she went by her maiden name. Can you guess what it is?"
Robin scowled. "I don't know. Please don't play with me, Lilia-san. I'm not interested in your games."
"Just trying to be a bit dramatic. My mom's maiden name was Jaguar D. Kathlea."
Robin's jaw dropped. Her mouth went dry. Her body became stiff.
"She is the aunt of Jagar D. Saul. The former vice admiral."
"That can't be!" Robin snapped, jumping out of her chair. "That's a bad joke!"
She couldn't believe that. It was preposterous. And impossible.
But when Luffy spoke, she couldn't deny it.
"…are you talking about Cousin Saul?" He said curiously.
Hearing those words, the fire that had burst inside Robin was quickly extinguished. She fell back into her chair and stared at Luffy. He wouldn't make a joke like that in this situation. "Luffy… you know Saul?"
"I never met him. But granny has spoken about him lots of times."
"But… Saul was a giant."
At Robin's words, Luffy's face went stone still.
"Huh?"
Robin stared incredulously. "You don't know. Saul was a giant."
"What?!" Luffy's eyes popped out of their sockets.
"Hm?" Lilia toyed with her and looked bored. "Did we never tell you guys?"
"No! You didn't! How is cousin Saul a giant?!"
"He's a half giant, technically. Not that any human side shows. My uncle, my mother's older brother, married a giantess."
Luffy's face twisted. "How…?"
"I try not to think about it too hard."
As they discussed how out of all the things that were talked about regarding Saul they never mentioned he was a giant, Robin processed her feelings. In the early days of her life as a fugitive, she had wondered a bit about Saul's family. She wondered if they even knew he was dead. Given the fact that he had been on the run and was only on Ohara by accident, it was possible they never knew his fate. It had evoked feelings of guilt in her for a time, but her dangerous life forced to push those feelings aside and forget about it.
"So, we got giant in us?" Luffy asked, a little excited.
"Not you and me," Lilia said. "My aunt, Saul's mother, married my uncle. So, no giant blood in any of us."
"Aw," Luffy moaned. He was a little disappointed.
"…You must hate me," Robin said suddenly.
Lilia and Luffy stared at her.
"For what?" She asked.
"It's my fault that Saul died. If he hadn't met me, then…"
"Firstly, you were a kid. An eight year old girl. Nothing that happened that day was your fault. Second, Saul made his own choices. He fought for you because he knew what the government was doing was wrong and he didn't want you to die for their cowardice."
"Perhaps. But it's because of me he stayed. He didn't mean to end up on Ohara. He was planning to leave and was going to if he hadn't stayed longer than he needed to because of me. I was a lonely kid and he was practically my only friend. He knew I would feel sad when he left, so he stayed for me!"
Robin didn't start out screaming, but as she spoke, she started to lose control and her volume was increasing to a shout. This was a part of herself, like much in the past twenty years, that she had buried inside herself. It was human nature that emotions and feelings could never be erased. They can be ignored and pushed aside, but they are always there. Waiting to be addressed, and the longer it takes, the harder those feelings hit.
With this new revelation about Saul, Robin was hit hard.
"Robin…" Luffy said, staring at his friend with empathy. "Friends help each other. Friends stay with each other through hard times, even if they need to go."
"But it was an accident…" Robin said softly. "He didn't know where he was until it was too late."
"The only thing that would have changed is that he would have taken you with him," Lilia said. "I know Saul. He is all heart. He would never have not chosen to protect. And like I said, he chose to save you. He chose to fight Kuzan."
"...Kuzan?" Robin said, surprised. "Aokiji? You know he was killed by Aokiji?"
"Aokiji?!" Luffy blurted. The memory of their encounter with the Admiral was still fresh in his mind. He felt cold thinking about their fight. "Wait a minute, Aokiji was at Robin's home when it was destroyed."
"Yeah," Robin said. "That was where I first encountered him."
"I heard you guys had encountered him recently?" Lilia said with an edge in her voice. "You fought him, didn't you, Luffy?"
"Yeah," he said. "He kicked my butt."
"More like froze it, I imagine. Did you think you would win?"
Luffy paused for a moment. "I knew he was way stronger than me."
"...I'll just thank god that you didn't encounter either of the other two."
Especially Akainu.
"I hope that will teach you to be careful… but I know that when the situation calls for it, you won't run. Unfortunately, I raised you with guts and I get the feeling it will bite me in the ass pretty soon."
"You know your son well," Robin smiled despite her emotional state. "If we had met earlier, I might have offered you my life."
Neither Lilia, nor Luffy's expressions change.
"But I won't now. I learned very recently that there are people who will fight for my life and happiness, and will cry if I die. I find that I don't want that to happen, so I plan to protect my life going forward.. I won't give it up easily."
"Damn straight!" Luffy cheered. "I'm never letting you go, Robin!"
"Luffy, your words are sweet," Lilia said goodnaturedly. "But don't make it sound like she's your captive."
"Yeah. But Robin, I think that there's something you don't know."
Robin stared curiously at him. "And what is that?"
"Saul-Cousin Saul-he's alive."
The words hit Robin like a rock.
"What?!" She snapped.
"He's telling the truth," Lilia said in a serious voice. "Saul didn't die on Ohara that day."
"B-But… Aokiji froze him!"
"He did. Yes. But not lethally. After everything ended, Kuzan freed him. I think you can guess why."
"...Aokiji said he and Saul were friends."
"Yes, they were best friends. Hard to say what was going on inside his head, but Kuzan couldn't do two things. Kill his friend, nor could he kill a little girl."
Robin looked down on herself. She wasn't sure what to feel in that moment, but right now, she felt happy more than anything else.
"Where is Saul?"
"After Ohara, he couldn't exactly live without worry of the Navy pursuing him. So, he went into hiding, leaving everything behind, including me. Right now, he's at Elbaph."
"Elbaph?!" Luffy blurted. "Th island of giants?! You guys never told me he was there!"
All he was ever told about Saul was that he was in hiding and they couldn't see him for a long time.
"It was a secret," Lilia said. "For security."
"He's at Elbaph…" Robin said dreamily. "That's a long ways away. But if I go there… I'll get to see him again."
"Yes," Lilia said, smiling warmly. "I know he'll be happy to see you, too. Robin, The last thing he ever said to me was to save you…"
Lilia couldn't finish her sentence as Robin started to sob uncontrollably.
"I was ready to die just a while ago and now I learn this. I finally found the people who will always be with me. I don't deserve this happiness…!"
Luffy put a hand on her head comfortingly. "I never met Cousin Saul, but he sounds incredible. I think he'd say that you do deserve to be happy."
"Luffy… Thank you for not giving up on me at Enies Lobby. I know I didn't make it easy for all of you."
"Shishishi!" He laughed. "Once I find a good crewmate, I don't let them go no matter what."
"I'm grateful. And to you, too, Lilia. Thank you for bringing me this most incredible news."
"Yes, well. It's twenty years late. I apologize, but you are a tricky lady to catch, you know?"
Robin smiled mischievously. "I apologize. But you must understand, I was on the run and I learned very early in my life not to trust marines."
"But in the end you trusted Luffy?"
"My experience as his enemy at Alabasta taught me he was a trustworthy person. At the very least, he saved my life back then."
"I see."
"So, why does Dragon want me?" Robin asked. It was something she wondered about for a while. She had wondered a lot of things since Angel attacked them. "You said that was one of the reasons you wanted to find me."
"Yes, it is. But you must have an idea already, right?"
"It's because I can read the poneglyphs, isn't it?"
It was the reason that made the most sense. It was the primary reason that the World Government pursued her. It was the reason why almost every organization she was apart of wanted her.
Could there be any other reason?
The Straw Hats wanted her because they loved her.
"Just recently, a man named Ryuuhei visited our ship. I assume you know him?"
"I thought I sensed him," she sighed, looking worried. "What did he say? And what did he do?"
"He kicked my ass," Luffy said bluntly. "And he threatened to kill us all."
"I'll kill him," she promised dangerously.
"Eh?" He shrugged. "It was no worse than any of the beatings I got from grandpa and Grandpa Axel. He actually taught me some things."
"Did he? I hesitate to think what that guy would teach you." Lilia shook her head. "What did he tell you?"
"Well," Robin said. "One thing he said really stuck out to me. He said that if what happened to Ohara never happened, then you and Dragon might never have been born."
Lilia's eyes widened. "He said that, did he? Well… I suppose that's true. Sort of."
"Care to explain? I'm very curious."
"You're certainly nosy. I suppose that should be expected of a historian. That's something I need to talk about when I gather my daughters and Luffy together. So, I won't be sharing the juicy details with you before them. I'll just say this. The tragedy of Ohara triggered a lot of things. Dragon and me… it was just one of those things."
"I see…" Robin was having trouble guessing what those "things" she was referring to were. It was in her nature to gather as much information on world affairs as she could, but in the early years of her life on the run, it took everything she had just to survive. Staying current just wasn't possible back then. "Unfortunate. I was really interested in learning how one of the marines most formidable women and the leader of the Revolutionary Army ended up together. Besides, if it's true that you two got together because of Ohara's destruction, then that means one of the most important people to me was born because of the worst day of my life. I kind of like knowing that."
"You say such morbid things with a smile on your face," Lilia said. "I like that."
Luffy laughed innocently at their interaction.
Lilia stared thoughtfully at the distance. She appeared to be deeply thinking about something important. After awhile, she smiled nostalgically. "He and I… would probably have ended up together no matter what. You see, we've known each other since we were kids."
Luffy's eyes widened. "You guys were childhood friends?!"
"Not exactly. Certainly not friends. More like childhood frenemies. As you know, hon, you're grandfathers can't stand each other and when Dragon and I first met, it sorta kinda transferred to us. We were hardly fast friends. Certainly not lovers back then."
"So what changed?" Robin asked.
"Well, we actively tried to avoid each other, for starters. But no matter how much we vowed to have nothing to do with each other we kept getting involved with each other until eventually…"
She gestured to Luffy, who didn't get it.
"Eventually what?"
"You'll understand when you're older. Maybe."
"I see," Robin smiled. "You two were made for each other."
"In his dreams." Lilia scoffed. She placed a hand on her right cheek, paused for a moment. "…A lot happened. Chalk it up to that for now."
It was hardly a satisfying answer to Robin, but she knew she wasn't going to get more than that for now.
"Now…" Lilia snapped her fingers. "Let me introduce you to some people."
Appearing beside them as if having been there the whole tim, four people appeared.
A woman in a white miko outfit.
A man with a large sword on his back.
And two young marines-male and female.
Luffy gasped in excitement. He knew all of them.
"Aunt Nagika! Uncle Rizen! Ren! Shauna! It's you guys!"
"Luffy!" Ren and Shauna screamed in excitement. The two of them ran towards their cousin.
"Hey, cousin!" Ren said.
"How've you been?" Shauna asked.
"Great! What about you guys?"
"We're hanging in there," Shauna said.
"Luffy," Nagika said, gently shoving the twins to the side to speak with her god son. She smiled lovingly at him. She wrapped her slender arms tightly around him and pulled him in an easy embrace. "I've missed you, love."
Being over six feet tall, she was much taller than him and his head was on her chest, but he was hardly a perv about it. If Sanji was in his place, then he'd certainly melt.
"Aunt Nagika! It's been so long! I've missed you!"
"As have I. I've been following your progress closely. For better or for worse, you've been making a name for yourself fast. I'm worried, but for now I'll say I'm proud of you."
Luffy smiled happily at her. Rizen stepped forward. He smiled fatherly at him.
"Luffy. I can feel you have gotten much stronger. It feels like just yesterday you learned to walk." Rizen looked confused and turned to his lover. "It wasn't yesterday, right?"
Nagika sighed. "Of course not."
Robin watched the family reunion cautiously. She felt awkward. Not just because she wasn't family (although maybe she was, but it would take more than a minute for her to feel like it). Her eyes lingered on Nagika.
A touch of anxiety hit her like a cold splash. Up to now, she was never quite sure if she was the woman she had barely escaped from years ago, but seeing her up close, she knew it was.
It seemed like a facet of her dark past would be revealed to Luffy soon. She wasn't happy about it, but she, to her surprise, wasn't really nervous about it. Luffy would always accept her, regardless of her past. It would be insulting to him to think otherwise. Not to mention foolish.
"Robin," Lilia put a hand on the younger lady's shoulder. "These guys-FWH!"
Nagika, moving like a ghost, punched Lilia square in the face. The She Demon was knocked down and sent rolling backwards. She jumped back onto her feet immediately, glaring fiercely at her.
"What the hell, Nagi-Chan?! What was that for?!"
"Don't go thinking you can trap us in your darkness and not get punched, you idiot!"
"Don't act like you were imprisoned!"
"Read the dictionary! We were trapped in a place you control! That's the definition of prison!"
As the two older women bickered, Luffy laughed as if seeing something he hadn't seen in a long time that he had been missing.
"Mom and Aunt Nagika are best friends," Luffy explained.
"Are they?" Robin said, amused. "They are a bit like Zoro and Sanji."
"You think?" Luffy said, staring at them with his head tilted. "Maybe… But I know two others who are way more like them."
"Hey, Luffy," Ren said. "Introduce us to your lovely crewmate, would you?"
"Ugh," Shauna grunted with disgust. "Don't be so desperate, bro."
Ren scowled. "Who's being desperate? I just want to properly meet this vision."
"You're my twin. When you act like a clown, it makes me look bad by comparison."
"And when you act like a tight ass, it makes me look like one, too."
The twins glared at each other intensely. You could see the bolts being made by their intense staring.
"You wanna go?!" They both shouted and then attacked each other.
"Those two are Ren and Shauna," Luffy said, acting as if their behavior was normal. "They're twins."
"Your cousins. You're right. They are a lot like the two of them… Luffy," Robin said with a resolute smile. "I trust you."
"Eh?" Luffy looked at her strangely. "Why are you saying that now?"
"I suppose I just wanted to." She walked wordlessly to Lilia and Nagika, who were still arguing. "Rem Nagika."
The two women stopped bickering and stared at her.
"That's me," Nagika said, looking at Robin with an expression Luffy had trouble understanding.
"You really were her, weren't you?" Robin said. "Back then, it was you right? I always figured it was you, but you wore a mask…"
"Yeah, it was me," Nagika said.
Luffy looked confused, and the twins stopped fighting.
"Something is happening," Ren said.
"That's obvious," Shauna said. "It looks like your crewmate knows Rear Admiral Nagika, Luffy."
"I guess. Hey, Robin. You know Aunt Nagika?"
"Know probably isn't the right word. In all my time living on the run, she was probably the one that came closest to capturing me."
Luffy looked surprised and stared at his godmother. "Wait, really?!"
"I never heard that before," Shauna said.
"It's true," Lilia said, resting her arm on Nagika's shoulder. "But in the end, she just couldn't get her. So disappointing."
"Like you could have done any better," Nagika said, pushing her away.
"It was hardly due to incompetence that I escaped Nagika that day," Robin said. "I got lucky."
"What exactly happened?" Luffy asked.
"Instead of talking about it," Lilia said, before Robin could answer. "How about we see it?"
She concentrated and put her finger on her forehead. The empty black void around them suddenly filled with colors and shapes, as if being drawn at high speeds. They were now in what looked to be a study of some kind. Sitting at a desk reading papers was Robin. Standing nearby was a white haired man with a sword at his waist.
"This is…?" Robin gasped. She knew thai place.
"This is the past," Lilia said. "Lilia World can use the memories of those inside it and show them like this."
"That is… something," she said. Incredible or amazing didn't feel like the right words. Horrifying felt more accurate but she kept that to herself.
"It's you, Robin," Luffy said, stating the obvious. The past version of robin was wearing an athletic dark suit that exposed a generous amount of her cleavage. "What is this?"
"This is about, I'd say, four or so years ago," she explained. "This was when I was working for a certain criminal organization. Before I had joined Crocodile and his Baroque Works."
"And who is that guy?" He was looking at the man who looked to be in his late 20s. He wore a white suit as opposed to the conventional black and white. Even though this was a memory, Luffy and the others could feel he was significantly strong.
"He's Neo," she said. Luffy noticed that the look she gave him wasn't an uncaring one. "He's a swordsman for hire. Quite famous in the underground, actually. They call him the White Slayer."
"What was he doing?" Shauna asked.
"Officially, he was my bodyguard. In actuality, his job was to kill or detain me if I tried to leave or do anything undesirable for my employer."
"Oh. So, he was your enemy?" Luffy asked, unperturbed. He recalled how Crocodile had left Robin impaled. "You really didn't have any real friends back then."
"Unfortunately, people like you are rare, Luffy," she said easily. "It was pretty typical protocol for me, though. Practically every organization I joined wanted me for my talents and knowledge. They basically all had someone assigned to chaperone and keep an eye on me, as well as to protect me, considering how many were after me. I was used to it. But Neo… I don't know. I wouldn't say we were friends, but he seemed different from my previous guardians. I think you'll see soon what I mean."
Shauna looked around. The study had no windows, but was well lit. It was a nice looking place with a single bookshelf filled with thick, complicated looking books. This room gave her a bad vibe. "Were you a slave?"
She asked bluntly and without mincing her words.
"I was paid. Paid well, in fact. And I wasn't mistreated. Although, it was obvious that they wouldn't hesitate to punish me if I tried to doublecross them. But I had freedom to wander to the local book shops and library, so long as I kept a low profile, which was challenging since Neo always had to stay close to me, and he certainly didn't blend in."
Slavery wasn't the right word. But it certainly wasn't a great situation for her. She knew that the Boss of the organization would probably just chain her up and lock her in a room to do research if that was a viable choice for him. She was a tool to them. To literally every person and organization she had been apart of.
Until she met the Straw Hats.
"Well, to be fair, a beauty like you also can't be ignored," Ren said sweetly, which made hsi twin groan and roll her eyes. "But this Neo guy is a sword-for-hire, right? Meaning he doesn't actually belong to the organization. Were they really okay with an outsider guarding someone as precious as you?"
"My reputation for being slippery and deadly was fairly well known. The head of the organization didn't trust his people to be able to keep me in line, so he outsourced help. Neo is known to do anything for the right price."
"So he's strong," Luffy said. He knew how strong Robin was and thought only someone strong could do the job.
"Yes. He is very strong. Deadly. His sword draw is swift and I always knew that if I ever wanted to leave the organization alive, it would come down to me being faster than he could fully react. But ultimately it never came to that."
They heard screams. Clearly the cries of men fearing for their lives.
"Sounds like there's some trouble," Neo said, nonchalantly.
"Seems so," past Robin said, equally relaxed.
Neither made any move to investigate, nor did they look particularly anxious that their base was being attacked. However, Neo had a hand on his sword hilt, and present day Robin clearly remembered weighing her options when the screaming began. She had wondered if it was time to part ways with her current organization.
"Shouldn't you go to investigate?" Her past self asked.
"Please," Neo scoffed. "My only job is to watch over you. I've already been paid upfront for the year, so even if the Boss gets killed, I'm fine."
"How shrewd of you. It's been close to a year since you became my bodyguard."
"The contract will expire next week."
"And will you stay after the expiration?"
"Only if he renews. If he doesn't I'm out of here. Although, he'd be smart to keep me on. I'm probably the only person around that even has a chance of keeping you in line."
"That's pretty true. At least, I know if I were to try to leave, it wouldn't be right now, when you are ready to take me. Although, I can't imagine why he wouldn't renew your contract. If his goal is to keep me around, then keeping you would keep things far more secure than if he replaced you. In fact, I think the moment the opportunity comes, I'll part ways with the Boss and this organization."
"I can not believe you just said that. You do realize it is my job to report your activity, don't you?"
"I suppose that wasn't very smart, was it?" She smiled whimsically.
"Truly dumb for someone smart enough to survive on her own in this deadly world. You know, it's truly been hell being your chaperone."
"I imagine it would be. Unfortunately, that's just my life."
"Your life sucks."
"It hasn't been great."
They were conversing casually despite the screaming still continuing nonstop outside.
Then it stopped. Abruptly. At that, they started to show concern. IT was one thing for there to be screaming, it was entirely another thing for those screams to just stop.
"It stopped," Neo muttered. "Just like that. What happened up there?"
"I imagine it's something we don't want to know. Let's leave."
Neo stared at her incredulously. "What?"
"I don't imagine staying here will be a good idea for either of us. And despite the truer details of your contract, your job is to protect my life, isn't it? No matter what."
Neo gave a long. "I'm definitely not letting the contract get renewed no matter what. Let's go."
"Let me get my books."
"Seriously…?"
She used her Flower-Flower fruit power to quickly gather several books. The books she didn't want to lose. Luffy noticed a familiar cover.
"That book is the one written by Kyosuke's grandma, right?"
"That's right, Luffy." That was one book Robin never wanted to lose if she could help it. It was perhaps the last piece of writing written by anyone from Ohara. "That was a history book written by Vic Serena."
"Kyosuke's grandma?" The twins said, confused. They of course knew of Luffy's oldest friend Kyosuke, but they were unaware of him having a grandmother around. Much less why she'd be the author of a book Robin was willing to waste time retrieving.
"Oh, so you know about her, Luffy and Robin," Lilia said. "I take it Ryuuhei told you guys about it. I'm a bit surprised, but I guess it makes sense."
"I was surprised," Robin said. "Serena is an historian I have great respect for. Have you ever met her, Lilia?"
"I never had the honor."
"I see." She wanted to ask how Serena died, but now wasn't the time.
"You and that Neo guy seemed pretty friendly," Luffy said. "He doesn't feel like he wants to kill you."
"Well… he probably would have if the situation called for it." Robin observed her past self. It was surreal. The person she was now was starkly different from who she was before. By this point, she had buried her humanity to survive her life on the run. She had thought she had simply killed it, but apparently, humanity isn't killed that easily. Here in this moment, a bit of her true self had leaked out. The historian and archaeologist. That was probably because of Neo, honestly. He wasn't a friend, exactly, but he did treat more like a person than anybody else had in a long time.
If the organization had lasted one more week, and his contract expired, what would have happened?
"He's a lot like Zoro," Robin decided. "Both of them don't show their true selves easily."
"Come on!" Neo demanded, opening the door.
"I'm coming," past Robin said, holding a sack of books.
"I can't believe you'd waste time getting a few books," he muttered.
"…Knowledge is worth fighting for," she said after a beat. "At least to me it is."
"I still believe that," her present self said. Even when she was worn down with constantly being on the run, constantly being rejected, her belief in history stayed with her. Was it because the Oharan scholars and her mother had been killed or was it just who she was?
They exited the study, going out to a hall way lit by electric light and windows.
It was deathly quiet.
"It feels obvious," Shauna asked dubiously. "But who is attacking?"
"It's fairly obvious," Lilia said. "Right, Nagi-chan?"
The woman in priestess clothes growled irritably.
"We should leave through the secret passageways," Neo said.
"Sounds like the best choice," past Robin said. Neither saw this place as anything other than a paycheck or a place to lay low. The moment this place failed to meet any of those expectations, they were gone. The organization and its head did not have their loyalty.
They moved quietly. Their footsteps made no sounds. Both of them were experienced in the art of stealth. Leaving places quickly and quietly was a necessary skill for the both of them. As they moved towards the secret exit, no other person showed up on their way. No bodies. The Boss's room was in the opposite direction, so whatever was happening, it was likely centered around there.
When they reached what appeared to be a basement area, footsteps could be heard. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed all across the hall.
Someone was coming.
Neo unsheathed his katana and took a defensive stance in front of Robin. They both stood frozen in place as they saw a figure walk slowly towards them from the shadows of the hallway.
After a moment, they could clearly see who was approaching them. A tall woman in white priestess clothes which were stained in blood. Her face was hidden by a white and red kabuki mask.
Luffy and the others knew who it was immediately. But for Luffy, it was difficult to match this masked woman with the frightening aura with the memory of his loving and kind godmother.
But that was dumb, he thought after a second. His godmother was a member of his mom's crew, and he saw the aftermath of what they did to Igor's ship. And he always knew she was strong, just like he knows that his mom, grandpa, and Shanks were strong, even if he never had the chance to see any of them go all out.
"What's with the mask?" Luffy asked.
"I technically wasn't supposed to be there," Nagika said. "I figured wearing a mask would keep my identity hidden."
"…While wearing the outfit you usually wear?" Ren asked carefully.
"The mask was the attention grabber," she shrugged. "If people couldn't see my face, then that was what mattered."
"I'll say it worked for the most part," Robin said. "I never saw you before that night, but I was aware of your reputation, Nagika-san. Of course, I was aware of most of the Demon Unit's major members. I always wondered if this was you, but I couldn't be sure."
The masked Nagika kept slowly walking towards Robin and Neo, who had his sword raised to prepare for what came next.
"Who are you?" Neo asked, slightly tense.
"…My name isn't important," she relied coldly. "All you need to know is that I'm with the Navy."
"Navy?" Neo said, somewhat surprised. "Given your cloak and dagger aesthetic, I would have for sure pegged you as one of the Government's Cipher Pol agents."
"How insulting." Through the mask, she appraised the two before her. More specifically, she eyed Robin carefully. The current Robin could recall feeling the strength of her stare and wondering what she was thinking at the time. Now she knew. "Nico Robin."
The past Robin flinched at the sound of her name.
"You know me?" She asked dubiously.
"Of course I do. I had heard a rumor that you had aligned yourself with this organization."
"It's simply the place I chose to lay my head in."
"Well, that's over now. I've killed the boss of this organization. And his lieutenants. As well as all the foot soldiers who challenged me. This place is done."
"Wow," Luffy spoke. This was definitely not a side he had seen from his godmother before. "You're badass, Aunt Nagika."
Nagika turned her head in embarrassment. She had always hid her more ruthless side from her godchildren, never wanting them to see it but knowing that eventually they all would in some way. She knew that they would never look at her differently if they saw how she was in action, but the selfish part of her brain wanted to always just be their kind and loving godmother.
She supposed only Makino or Dadan could ever truly fulfill that role.
"Did you now?" Neo said, his sword still raised. "Well, good thing I always insist on getting paid upfront. When you're clients are always people who others would very much like to do away with, it's better business to get paid in advanced."
"You're a hired sword? I thought you seemed different from the rest of the trash here. Get lost. My only interest is in Nico Robin at the moment."
With unnatural, ghost-like speed, Nagika closed the distance between her and them instantly, surprising both of them. She thrust her hand out in a stabbing motion, her nails razor sharp, like claws, at Robin.
The current Robin remembered being so caught off guard by Nagika, she couldn't react in time. After she had escaped this situation later, she felt like most others were rather slow in comparison, which proved quite helpful in future fights, such as when she fought Pell of Alabasta.
Her ideal way of fighting was to render speed and strength useless.
Luckily, Neo could just barely react in time to block her attack. His sword blocked her sharp nails, a loud thud sounded.
Past Robin looked surprised as the last Nagika said, "I said your boss is dead. You are under no obligation to continue following his orders."
"First of all, run you idiot!" Neo shouted, his voice boomed and echoed throughout the hallway. Past Robin hesitated for only a moment before running away and down to the basement.
Her present self looked ashamed of her past self. Neo was her friend. Or at least someone who was willing to protect her, even if he was paid to do that and also kill her if the need came up. Leaving behind to fight such a dangerous person was cowardly, but after over a decade of being used and betrayed by every person she got involved with, her ability to be attached to people was basically nonexistent at this point.
So, what made Luffy and the Straw Hats different?
It wasn't that difficult to understand. The free nature of Luffy's crew was starkly different from everything she had experienced before. Before she knew it, she had become attached to them and their lives became far more important to her than her own continued existence.
The past Nagika sighed as Robin ran off. "What are you even trying to do here?"
"Well, like I said, I was paid in advance to guard that woman," Neo said.
"Your employer is dead."
"And I shed no tears for him. Still, I do have something called a worker's pride and honor. There's still a week left in my contract, so I might as well see this through."
"It honestly be in her best interest to let me take her."
"Maybe. But I don't think she's ready to be taken yet. Least of all by you."
"You were about to cut her down, weren't you?" Lilia said. "Can you blame him for being skeptical?"
"I wasn't going to kill her. Just wound her non lethally, then drag her back to the ship for Kureto to patch her up. What?" She said when Ren and Shauna stared at her incredulously. "I highly doubted she would have believed it when I said I would bring her to safety. Would you have?"
"Definitely not," Robin said when Nagika looked at her. "At that point, my trust and general faith in others had been reduced to almost nothing. Even if you had honestly told me you meant no harm, I'd never believe it. Especially since you were in the Navy."
"See?"
Ren and Shauna looked at each other and had a non verbal conversation.
She acts more civilized, but she's just as brutal as Aunt Lily Ren thought.
For real Shauna agreed.
"I didn't expect to come to a place like this and find a good man here," the past Nagika said. "The world is truly unpredictable."
"If you think I'm good, then you have truly poor judgement."
"True. I never considered myself a lady of great intelligence. After all, I foolishly continue to follow an idiot."
"Screw you," Lilia said. Nagika shrugged unapologetically.
"I suppose there's no convincing you to stand down… so, get out of the way."
She swung her arm at him and her finger nails grew several inches and became sharp like knives.
Nagika had the power of the Claw-Claw Fruit. It transformed the users nails into claws. Simple as that might sound, those claws can tear in both flesh and steel as easily as butter. It was common for her to leave her opponents in bloody pieces.
They called her the Blood Priestess.
She went at Neo not ferociously, but with cold precision that was almost machine like. Neo was stuck on the defensive. He had no choice because he understood that if he allowed even a single opening, Nagika wouldn't hesitate to cut him down.
Abruptly, Nagika paused her assault. "You're good."
He was. Since everyone observing was a fighter of significant skill, they understood Nek was extremely strong and a skilled swordsman.
Luffy knew Zoro would love to challenge him.
Shauna, a bo staff user, thought she might lose to him if they fought.
"So, you must understand, I'm out of your league."
That was the hard truth. Because Neo was strong, he was able to stay in the fight. A weaker man would have already been defeated. It was his skill and strength that helped him stay standing.
But sooner or later, he'd be over powered. The fact he was sweating and panting profusely despite only fighting for a minute while Nagika hadn't even broken a sweat showed how much effort and energy he was putting in just to stay alive.
"Yeah, I know." He said casually through heavy breathing. "I probably knew it the moment I laid eyes on you. There's just no way I can win."
"Then move aside. I'm not here to kill you."
"Before, you called me a good man. I'm definitely not. But I at least have enough pride in myself to not run away when things get tough."
"Is she worth losing your life for?"
Neo bit his lip in frustration. She saw through his reasoning easily.
"Is it love?" Nagika asked.
He let out a laugh. "As if. Who'd be dumb enough to love that gloomy woman?"
"Harsh," Robin said, unoffended. "He didn't need to say it like that."
"That guy has no taste, Robin-san," Ren said in a romantic voice.
"And you have no shame," Shauna sighed.
"Sanji would want to kick his ass for that," Luffy laughed.
"Just chalk it up to stupid whim," Neo said with conviction. Then, he shifted his stance from defensive to offensive. "I have no intention of dying here. Least of all for that woman."
"I see…" past Nagika said. Her knife-like nails grew to match the length of a katana. She got into a lunging stance.
The air around her was cool and collected. The air around him was tense, but ready.
This fight would end in the next instant.
Robin found herself holding her breath for her "not friend". She hadn't seen him since she ran away. She had no idea if he lived or died. To be honest, she had rarely thought of him since. That was what she had to do to survive back then.
The only thing she had done was acquire the incident report of what had happened after she escaped. Among the bodies recovered, which included the organization's head, there was none matching his distinctive description. Although, that didn't mean much.
Looks like she was about to find out what really happened.
Nagika lunged forward. She moved with preternatural speed.
Neo didn't move. He most likely knew that he'd lose in a contest of speed, so he decided his best chance-his only chance-was to hold his position and strike at the most opportune moment.
It ended in a blink.
Nagika and Neo had their back to each other. Her claws were out stretched. His sword pointed down after swinging it.
For a moment, they were frozen.
Then blood erupted from either side of Neo's torso and he collapsed where he stood.
Meanwhile, Nagika was unharmed.
Robin bit her lip in frustration. She did not blame Nagika, but herself for leaving him. He was the closest thing to a friend she had in all her years of running and she had abandoned him like he was nothing.
Maybe nothing would have changed if she stayed and fought with. Or maybe everything would have changed. Because she chose to run, she would never know. That was something she'd have to live with.
"...How frustrating," Neo groaned as he laid in a pool of his own blood. "I wanted to pull a come from behind victory."
Robin stared out in surprise. He was still alive. But for how long?
The past Nagika didn't look back. Instead she stared down at her clothing. "Just be grateful you were able to cut my robes a bit."
"Your robes?" Shauna said as she looked closely at Nagiko miko outfit. Just as she said, there was a small but noticeable cut open hole on the side.
"The kid is good," Rizen said. He had been quiet most of the memory. "He knew he couldn't avoid or catch you with speed, so he waited for the right moment to strike. When you were going for the killing blow. If everything had gone perfectly for him, this would have ended quite differently.
"You have a weird way of dodging even when going at full speed,"Lilia said. "You knew he would slash you, so in the middle of your attack, you changed course and adjusted your attack from a lethal one to just severely wounding him. Did I get that right, Nagi-chan?"
"I believe you know the answer to that." Nagika looked at Robin, who looked relieved. "I was going to kill him. If he didn't do exactly what he did, I would have. But he lucked out."
"I understand," Robin said.
"It's hard to feel grateful when I'm bleeding out," Neo said.
"Don't be a baby. Those wounds are bad, not life threatening. Patch yourself up and get out of here."
"You'll really let me live?"
"I'm letting you do anything. You're alive because you made a smart move. Although, the smartest move would have been to just let me take that woman and save yourself the blood."
"...You'll never catch her. My job was to kill her if the need arose. I always stood close to her because I knew if I ever lost her, I'd never catch her. She's the world's greatest player of hide and seek."
"You are hard to find," Luffy said.
"Said the boy who finally got her after less than a year when I and a whole lot of other people have been trying for twenty years," Lilia said jokingly.
Luffy shrugged. "She's my friend."
Robin smiled softly despite herself. When the memory darkened, Robin asked Nagika, "What happened to Neo?"
"I left him after that. Like he said, I couldn't find you." When Robin's face became more regretful, she added, "Obviously, I saw it."
"Yes, I assumed you would."
"What are you guys talking about now?" Luffy asked.
Before either could answer, the dark void showed a new meaning. It was of Robin running down the stairs at a hurried pace. She was hardly in an outfit fit for running, and despite her fast pace, she hadn't stumbled or tried while running down the stairs.
A lifetime of always being on the move made her an expert at running. Clumsiness could not be allowed.
When she reached the basement area, they all saw something truly vile.
The basement was a literal prison with dozens of women and children locked inside. They looked scared and malnourished.
"What?" Ren said, horrified.
"Don't tell me this is what I think it is?" Shauna gasped, her face pale.
"…They're kidnapped people the organization took to sell as slaves," Robin confessed, sounding disgusted.
"Slaves…" Luffy whispered.
"The boss wanted to fund his future endeavors," Robin explained. "Sadly, the buying and selling of human beings is perhaps the most profitable business venture one can do."
"Buying and selling…?"
"It exists," Ren said, looking a bit sick. "Unfortunately, it's legal."
"Oh."
Luffy didn't feel surprised. After learning what they did to Robin and her home, he was fully aware of how evil they could be.
Still, this was worse than he'd imagined. He did not see the world as black and white. He didn't think all marines were good, just as he knew not all pirates were evil. It's how you choose to live that determines that.
But this? This was evil. Pure and simple. And if the Government was truly allowing this to happen, then he could understand why his father became a revolutionary.
"And I was a part of it…" Robin whispered almost too softly to hear.
"Were you?" Nagika said. "But that isn't all is it?"
The past Robin stopped running as her eyes froze on the imprisoned people.
"Hey!" Two men shouted. They were they only ones not imprisoned. Based on their suits, they were most likely guards in charge of watching over the prisoners. "You're Ni-"
The past Robin reacted before either could say another word.
"Clutch!" She crossed her arms. Several arms sprouted from the men's bodies grabbing their heads. Before either man could react, the arms snapped their necks like twigs. The arms vanished, and their bodies crumpled to the ground like fallen mannequins.
Luffy and his cousins cringed slightly at the swift and merciless death, but they felt no sympathy for them. Since they were helping keep the women and children imprisoned, they were probably not decent people.
Robin used her powers to search both men's bodies. When she found a set of keys, she seamlessly tossed them to another sprouted by the nearest cell's door and unlocked it.
The door to the cell creaked open. The hand holding the key vanished, and it dropped at the feet of a confused woman who protectively held two little children. A mother and her kids.
"Free the others," past Robin ordered, a heated look in her eyes. "If you care to."
She couldn't waste any more time. The fact she was wasting precious seconds freeing the prisoners was already a counterintuitive decision. Killing the guards was necessary, but freeing the prisoners was something else.
"Wait!" The woman with the two kids shouted just as Robin turned to leave. "Thank you! A-And what's your name?!"
She hesitated, wasting even more seconds. "I'm just someone called Devil Child. Do me a favor and pretend you didn't see me."
She left without another word. She reached a doorway hidden behind a bookshelf. The doorway leading to a tunnel. The tunnel was a part of a network. Though poorly lit, Robin was able to easily navigate them.
Nagika had discovered those tunnels later, but she knew she'd only get herself lost if she tried to navigate them. Robin had been there a few times and memorized the correct route. Maybe only once. Or maybe she just knew of them and found a map to memorize. People with her level of intelligence were that clever.
The year she knew a certain ridiculously handsome, incredibly smart man proved that much to her. Not to mention his son and daughter.
"They didn't, you know," Nagika said after the memory ended and they were back in the black void. "The prisoners you freed. They didn't tell me where you were, not that I didn't easily find the tunnel. That woman you gave the keys to-her name is Margo, by the way-she even said she was the one who killed the guards. Couldn't say I believed her, though. They were incredibly grateful."
"I see. What happened to them?"
She had made sure they didn't end up on any official report. All in all, though the World Government is corrupt, they generally frown upon kidnapping law abiding citizens to sell as slaves (although the slave houses don't bother asking one way or another). But it's still best that they don't know you were taken to be made one.
Some of them were kidnapped. Others were taken when their families couldn't pay the debts owed to organization. A few were bought from "independent contractors".
The organization basically ruled the island they were based in. With them gone, at the very least, the residents were free from their oppression and had the opportunity to start fresh.
It also helped that the Demon Unit worked together to crush and wipe out any other gangs and criminal groups that might've tried to take over.
"A few were taken from other islands, so we took them back," Nagika said. "They were pretty nervous at first, being on our ships. But for all our guys' faults, they're good at keeping people at ease. You know, the kids were playing and pretending to be you." Nagika added, which made Robin confused.
"What?"
"They pretended to be Devil Child," Lilia said teasingly. "The shadow hero who saved them from evil using her signature move, Clutch. It was adorable."
Robin made an uncharacteristically shocked and embarrassed expression. It was made worse when Lilia mimicked the dramatic pose of her Clutch move the children were using, which made Luffy and the twins laugh.
"Why would they view me as a hero?" Robin asked, totally dumbfounded. "…I was apart of the organization that imprisoned them and was going to sell them into slavery. If anything, Nagika-san and the rest of you are the heroes. You are the ones who destroyed that organization."
"True," Lilia said. "They were certainly grateful to us, too, but you were the one who freed them from their cages."
"That was nothing. I only did that on a whim. Nagika-san would have done it if I hadn't."
"Perhaps," Nagika said. "But it was you who did it. Whether you meant to or not, you gave those people, who had lost hope, a glimmer of hope. Heroes aren't always those who slay the big bad monster. Sometimes it's as simple as showing the victims the world's not all bad. Maybe you can relate?"
"…Maybe. But many others weren't saved." Robin said self-deprecatingly. "I allowed many people to be sold."
Even in her darkest days, Robin was never so broken that she wasn't disgusted by what her former employer did, but in order to stay hidden, she never tried to actually do much about it. Freeing those prisoners was just her way of alleviating some of the guilt she had built up.
Crocodile was certainly her most powerful and dangerous partner, but the man before him was far darker and crueler.
Of course, Crocodile instigated a civil war that made millions suffer, so perhaps it was pointless to compare them.
In the end, she had always found security, if not solace, in evil and cruel men.
"…I was prepared to condemn you," Nagika admitted. "I originally came to that island because I heard a rumor that you were there, but then I discovered that organization was kidnapping poor women and children, and I got pissed and angry that you would be apart of such a thing. I was practically ready to tell Lily-chan that it was time to give up on you. But then I went down to that basement and discovered you took time to free those prisoners when you should have been running to escape. I realized then that there was still good in you."
"…That was just a mere whim."
"Was it a whim when you saved me?" Luffy asked. "I lost to Crocodile and he almost killed me. I probably would've died if you didn't save me back then."
"That was…" Robin began, but couldn't finish. She couldn't say it was a whim. It was just that ever since she had first encountered Luffy at Whiskey Peak, she was interested in him and the initial he shared with Saul, who as it turned out is his relative.
"Even if you tell me it was a whim, I don't care. You're my friend Robin and a member of my crew. I will always believe in you. I will always trust you. You're a great lady!"
"Luffy…" Robin said softly, emotion in her voice. She smiled, wiping tears from her eyes. "Thank you. I started to forget myself for a while there. But you pulled me from the edge. You tend to do that."
At the tombs in Alabasta, and more recently at Enies Lobby. Both of those times, either physically or verbally, Luffy pulled out from her darkness and showed her a brighter future.
The kind of future Saul had promised her she'd have some day. If she kept living, she would one day find friends who'd never leave her.
"Nice going, cousin," Shauna said, patting his back like a proud big sister.
Ren put an arm around him. "Personally, I think holding her hand and staring into her…"
"Why do you have to ruin the mood, Ren?"
"Shut up, Shauna! It's called romance."
"No one wants to be romanced by a slob."
"Oh, yeah!"
Luffy stepped out from between them as his cousins began another fight.
"You saved Luffy's life?" Lilia asked. She hadn't heard this before.
"Technically… I just pulled him out of the sand pit Crocodile dropped him in after he stabbed him. It was actually Pell, Alabasta's strongest warrior, who helped him recover."
"Oh…" Lilia pushed aside the twisting feeling she got when hearing Luffy had been stabbed. "But you're the one who pulled him out. So, thank you. I owe you."
"He's more than repaid any debts owed. On the contrary, I owe him far more than I could ever repay."
"Sure, but cut yourself some slack, too. You did a lot of bad things, but that was to survive unimaginable circumstances. It is not a sin to live."
"I know," Robin said, smiling contentedly. "I have no more intention to apologize. I will keep moving forward with my friends whilst living with the sins I've committed over the years."
"That's fine, but you know. There are more people out there who don't hate you as much as you think."
Lilia concentrated. The black void was replaced with a new memory.
They were in Alabasta's throne room, where several familiar faces stood, along with Lilia.
"Vivi!" Luffy and his twin cousins shouted together excitedly.
"You guys know her?" Luffy asked.
"Of course," Shauna said. "We were stationed in Alabasta for over a month after you and your crew beat Crocodile."
"Oh, yeah. Mom just told me that. So you guys met Vivi there?"
"Yes. Ren and I, our friends Leoha and Akina, too. The four of us were assigned to act as Princess Vivi's body guards. Yuki knows her, too, but she was assigned a different role during our time there."
"She's a beauty," Ren said. "And actually really awesome, too."
"Ignoring his pervy thoughts," Shauna muttered. "I agree. She's an impressive and brave person. Plus, we knew you must've liked her if you fought for her kingdom the way you did. There isn't a lot of great or decent royal families out there, but Alabasta is lucky to have the Nefertari family.
Remembering the royals and noble back home at Goa Kingdom, Luffy agreed.
"So, what are we watching?" He asked.
Memory spoke. "Please forgive Nico Robin, or as you knew her Miss All Sunday, for her role in Alabasta's suffering."
They're eyes widened, as did the Alabasta royal court.
"What is this about?" Robin demanded.
"Just something I wanted to do," Lilia shrugged.
"…Why do you ask that?" King Cobra asked in a calm tone as his daughter and advisors were unable to speak for a moment. "Is it because she's a part of your son, Luffy-kun's pirate crew?"
"Not really," she said. "If it was just that, I'd leave it alone. But Nico Robin is a special individual to me. I'd like it if she could be forgiven by all of you, somehow."
"What is the point?" Cobra asked. "Our country has been freed of Baroque Works influence. We are in the midst of recovering from the damage caused by the civil war. Nobody in this court or country is interested in getting revenge on one agent, even if she was high ranking. Not when the mastermind has been arrested and imprisoned. At least that is my opinion."
"Cobra is a good king," Nagika said. "Not everyone is willing to let bygones be bygones. Some kings and rulers want to eliminate all traces of their enemies and will hunt them down to the ends of the earth if need be."
"Even so, I hope you'll still forgive her."
"…It's hard," Vivi said in a low voice. "She helped to ruin Alabasta and caused so much suffering to the citizens. It's hard for me to just overlook that."
Robin stared down at her feet. She understood. No matter her circumstances, it didn't justify the part she played in Crocodile's scheme. A lot of pain and death was on her hands.
"…But it's then I think that it's only because of her Alabasta is okay now."
Robin looked at the memory of Vivi in surprise.
"I infiltrated Baroque Works with Igaram and was able to discover that Crocodile was Mr. 0 all because she-Miss All Sunday-let us! At first, I thought she was just toying with us, but then I learned from Pell that she saved Luffy after he was defeated by Crocodile that first time… so, I don't know. Maybe those times were just her schemes, and that is what I wanted to believe, but… Luffy has her on his crew."
Now it was Luffy who looked surprised. What did he have to do with it?
"Luffy's a person who goes with his instincts. It's hard to know what he's thinking half the time. He's incomprehensible a lot of the times."
"I am?" Luffy said.
"Yeah," Ren and Shauna said.
"You're our cousin, but I don't get you half the time," Ren said.
"You, and the rest," Shauna said. "You and your sisters are enigmas."
"Enigma?!" He didn't know what that meant.
"Somebody hard to understand." Shauna knew that much about her cousin at least.
"Oh. Okay."
"But no matter how nonsensical Luffy's decisions may seem, I believe they always come from a good place. So, if he believes in her, then I will, too! I already decided to do that anyway!"
"I see," memory Lilia smiled. "That's good, then. And what about the rest of you?"
Igaram cleared his throat, making an almost musical sound. "If the king and the princess don't intend to hold a grudge, then I have no intention of doing so either. Besides… At Whiskey Peak, she had the opportunity to kill me, but instead faked my demise. I imagine that was a part of a scheme, but I also know anyone else in Baroque Works would've killed me, so I can at least move on from the past."
"If everyone else is ready to let things go, then I am, too," Chaka said. Although, it seemed like he didn't hold a grudge any way. "And I'm sure Pell isn't stuck in the past either."
"You already know my mind, Lilia," Cobra said. "But I will leave you with this. Nico Robin betrayed Crocodile in the end."
This surprised Vivi and his court.
"I see," Lilia said coolly. "Care to elaborate?"
"I'll let her explain the finer points when you meet her, but what I can say for sure is, her motives are actually pretty pure."
The memory ended at that moment, which felt abrupt.
"Pure, huh?" Robin whispered. She didn't know if that was the right word for her dream to find the true history, but she'd certainly never consider it evil. The Government did that enough for everyone. "What was the point of that for, Lilia?"
"Just wanted to show you that at least one place you screwed didn't hate you?" She said with a saccharine smile. "Did it make you happy?"
Robin didn't answer. Instead, she said, "You're an aggravating woman. I definitely prefer your son over you."
"As do I," Nagika said.
"Whatever," Lilia shrugged. "Still, if you weren't such a slippery chick, me or Dragon would have found you a long time ago and would have protected you. Your twenty year life of running and isolation would have been a lot shorter. Any regrets on that front?"
"I did consider it for a time after we met Ryuuhei, but no. I'm actually quite fine with how things ended up for me. If I somehow ended up with the Revolutionary Army with Dragon, then I'd probably never meet Luffy. Or at least, our relationship would not be the same. The same is true for if I was taken in by you. I don't know what you would have done if you ever caught me, but even if you allowed me to live with your family in East Blue, then that would most likely alter my relationship with Luffy. I might not have joined his crew and become a Straw Hat Pirate. And if joining his meant I had to endure 20 years of loneliness, then I'd gladly go through it all again.
"Perhaps I'd be telling another story had those hypothetical scenarios happened, but I'm an historian. I prefer the absolute truth, and the absolute truth for me is that I love the Straw Hats and Luffy is the only man I'll follow now."
Even Luffy couldn't respond at first when faced with Robin's deep feelings. He smiled finally. "Sounds good."
Ren kicked Luffy hard in the back.
"Ow! Why'd you do that, Ren?"
Ren grunted. "Your popularity with the ladies just annoyed me too much. It's no different from Kyosuke."
"What?" Luffy looked confused.
"It's called sincerity, bro," Shauna said teasingly.
"I can be sincere…"
"Sure…"
"Well… no one can accuse you of being whiny," Lilia said, placing a hand on Robin's shoulder. "You're a good lady despite everything you've suffered. Knowing my son, he sees it, too. For what little it means, I'm sorry for all you've had to go through, losing your home included. And, for whatever else it's worth, you're one of us. Have been since the day our moms became friends. I won't apologize for not finding you sooner, but I'm glad you finally found a place that you can call home with people who you consider family. Saul will be very proud of the woman you've become."
Robin felt emotions rising in her chest at the mention of Saul. In a hoarse voice she said "Thank you… I think I don't mind being apart of your family."
"You say that now, but when you finally meet my other girls and the rest of our clan, you might sing a different tune. We are a troublesome lot who can't help but get into danger."
At her words, both Luffy and Robin remembered something. They remembered him. The one who threatened them and that very family.
Seeing the shift in their moods, Lilia looked at them both curiously. "What's up? Did I say something upsetting?"
Luffy stared at his mother seriously. "I think there's something I need to tell you, mom."
That's the end of this chapter. I know it's long. I hope it didn't bore anybody and kept you all interested.
Again, my thanks to Angel Zamora for still remaining an Advanced Tier member. You are awesome!