Year 1512 of the Oceanic Calendar, in the mysterious town of Sleepwood, a mountain cave whispered secrets from an ancient age.
"Finally... I got the fruit."
In the dim, damp cave stood a young girl dressed in a nun's habit, both hands holding a crimson, blood-drop-shaped fruit that pulsed faintly in her palms. Her long, snow-white hair spilled over her shoulders like a veil of moonlight.
Without hesitation, she sank her teeth into the fruit. A violent nausea surged from her stomach; her pale face twisted as she crouched down, trembling.
"Laurentina, I heard that to gain the fruit's full power, you have to eat the whole thing," came a teasing voice from beside her.
The speaker was a woman who looked several years older tanned skin, long black hair, and sharp eyes that spoke of countless journeys. She wore a fitted purple travel coat and leaned casually against a stone tablet etched with ancient glyphs.
Laurentina shot her an unimpressed glare. "What, you think I've never seen One Piece? I know one bite is enough!"
"Trying to trick me, huh? You've got a terrible personality, Robin."
The girl reached for the long-handled chainsaw strapped to her back, crimson eyes flaring like twin flames.
The fruit she had just eaten was the Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Vampire Form the same legendary fruit sought by the infamous Red Count, Baroric Ledfield. Only now, Laurentina had gotten to it first.
A low hum filled the cave.
A pair of black, leathery wings burst open from Laurentina's back. Before she could even get used to the sensation of flight, she shot forward, fist raised toward Robin.
Robin's eyes lit up at the sight.
Laurentina's transformation was breathtaking beauty elevated to the edge of divinity. Once pure and angelic like a forest fawn, she now bore the allure of a fallen angel, wings spread like a seductive succubus. Innocence and temptation, purity and sin merged so seamlessly they defied description.
No poetry could capture her now. Even the Pirate Empress herself might have looked twice.
The nun unfurled her wings, her golden cross pendant glinting as it swayed.
"Ha! Angry already?" Robin smirked, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. "You really do look like one of those adult-comic succubus nuns right now."
"Excuse me?!"
Laurentina lunged, but Robin's hands moved faster.
"Fleur: Tangle Vine!"
Four phantom arms sprouted from Robin's waist, coiling around Laurentina mid-flight. The young nun froze, her body twitching as she was pulled to the ground.
"Wha hey! Where are you touching?! If you don't let go, I swear I'll saw your arms off!"
Her face burned red. How humiliating!
Robin only laughed, scratching Laurentina's side. The girl retaliated by poking Robin's waist a fatal weak spot. Within moments, the two were rolling on the cave floor, giggling uncontrollably despite the dirt and dust.
When their laughter finally subsided, Robin sat on a clean rock, her expression softening.
"So," she said quietly, "you've really decided to apply to the Navy Academy?"
Laurentina brushed off her robe, stood, and met her friend's gaze with steady eyes.
"Yes. Compared to being a pirate, I'd rather become a Marine. Statistically speaking, at least eighty percent of Marines are good people."
She knew Robin's heart still carried the scars of Ohara the island the government had burned to ash. But the ones who gave that order were the World Government, not every Marine. Men like Sengoku or Aokiji were just soldiers carrying out orders.
Sure, there were corrupt officers like that rat Morgan, but most Marines still fought for justice.
"Pirates, on the other hand," Laurentina continued, "ninety-nine percent of them are evil. Even Luffy's crew caused chaos in Impel Down. The great pirate fleets plunder villages, and so-called 'honorable pirates' like Whitebeard and Shanks still rob merchant ships."
Robin smiled faintly, closing her notebook. "Then I'll keep doing what I do best searching for the true history of the world."
Learning that her giant friend Saul had survived his execution had given her peace. Somewhere out there, the man who protected Ohara still lived.
After gathering their supplies, the two boarded a merchant vessel bound for the Sabaody Archipelago, leaving Sleepwood behind.
The Grand Line — Near Sabaody
"Hey, move your head! You're pulling my hair!"
In the cramped cabin of the merchant ship Victory Seagull, Laurentina and Robin shared a single bed. The young nun, dressed in only a thin nightgown, groaned in frustration.
It wasn't her fault the ship was full, and this was the last room available.
Sunlight streamed through the porthole, casting a golden hue across Robin's tanned skin. The gentle rise and fall of her breathing made her look serene, almost divine.
Laurentina blushed and tried to wriggle free. "Robin! You're crushing me!"
"Mmm... five more minutes," Robin murmured, shifting comfortably without opening her eyes. "Once this trip's over, I'll leave you in peace."
Laurentina froze. Don't say things like that... you'll jinx us!
And sure enough
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A voice blared through the ship's speakers: "Attention passengers! Pirate ship spotted ahead! Brace for impact!"
Laurentina's jaw dropped. See?! You just had to say it!
The captain's voice followed, trembling: "Don't panic! The Victory Seagull is under the protection of the royal guard—"
A scream cut him off.
A rough voice echoed down the corridor. "Hahahaha! Listen up, worms! Everyone get your sorry hides on deck NOW!"
Laurentina and Robin exchanged grim looks, grabbing their weapons as they rushed out.
Rain clouds rolled in, darkening the sky. Thunder rumbled. Gunshots cracked across the deck, mingled with cries of terror.
Two ships had locked together the merchant vessel and a black-hulled pirate ship with a snarling sea lion figurehead.
Atop the corpses of the fallen stood a towering man wearing a tattered captain's coat and a three-cornered hat.
"So this is the great 'Royal Guard,' huh? Pathetic."
The rebels' courage evaporated. Knees buckled. Hope died.
Robin's eyes narrowed. "That's the Mad Lion Pirates. This year's so-called rising stars."
The man grinned. "Kill the men. Take everything else."
He drove his sword into the deck with a clang.
Captain Gaston "Mad Lion" Dreston bounty, 230 million berries. A butcher of towns and a nightmare from the South Sea.
Laurentina's grip tightened on her chainsaw. She had read his bounty poster before; this monster once flayed an entire village and hung their skins along the harbor walls.
Beside him stood a gaunt, pale man with bulging eyes and a wicked smile.
"Well, well," the man drawled, "two lovely ladies. How lucky am I?"
Laurentina shuddered. His gaze crawled over her like oil.
First Mate Quint the Freakfish, bounty 140 million. A goldfish-human hybrid with a taste for young girls his victims were countless.
He puffed out his cheeks. "Sleep Bubble!"
Shimmering bubbles streamed from his mouth, floating toward Laurentina.
"My bubbles put anyone to sleep, little dove," he said, grinning wide. "And once you're asleep, I'll make sure you stay that way."
Laurentina raised her weapon. "You picked the wrong nun to mess with."
The roar of her chainsaw drowned out his laughter.
Elsewhere Sabaody Port
"Rayleigh, we're heading to the New World. Next time, drinks are on me," said a red-haired man, waving from the dock.
Rayleigh chuckled, watching him board.
After years of hiding in the East Blue, the Red-Haired Pirates were setting sail again. Their captain, Shanks, turned his gaze toward the stormy horizon.
"Alright, boys! Set sail!"
"AYE!"
The sea roared and far away, in the chaos of battle, a white-haired nun pulled the chainsaw cord once more.