Kairos
A/N: I do not own One Piece.
Chapter 1: The Devil's Child
"Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for." - Dag Hammarskjold
Robin felt a tear as the taste of iron spread across her tongue. She was bleeding. Crepted into a ball she hid herself in the corner of the boat. She was trembling in fear. I'm going to be alright. I'm going to live. She prayed silently. Frozen in the cold winter winds of the North Blue. She only wished to live. She was no safer on land or sea. She was a foe of both evil and justice. She can only wait for her demise from the World Government. She was all alone.
Her stomach growled ignorantly at her current situation. Demanding for just a single bite of food. Robin scowled at herself in annoyance. Not yet. Not yet, I can't feed you right now. I'm going to get caught because of you. To her answer her stomach growled even louder than before. Robin only crossed her fingers hoping that no merchants questions the unbearable noise.
Robin scrunched her toes together, like it would actually help warm her up from the unbearable winter sea. She dare not to let out a breathe to help warm up her iced red fingers.
Robin had been island hopping for long as she can remember. She can never stay in one place for too long. Born in Ohara to a line of scholars she lived in the West Blue for most of her life, but the West Blue was no longer safe for her. She forgot how it felt to be safe. She forgot how it felt to be warm. She forgot how it was to settle down. Robin was always the unwanted one. Even in Ohara, she was disowned and mistreated. It was no different than it was then and now. But Robin missed the way the Tree of Knowledge waited for her everything she ran in crying. She has no home now. Nowhere to go.
As footsteps creep on deck, Robin silenced herself immediately. She threatened her hungry stomach to make a single noise, because if it did. It would be the end for both of them. Silently she pushed herself against the wall. And pray that the Lady Moon would be on her side and disregard her shadows in her presence.
"it's freezin' out here!" the man growled, who groggily made his way on the dock.
The smell of whiskey flared up in her nostrils, even a child can tell the drunken bastard had been drink all night as she been stuck in the dark.
"Th' cold gunna be jolly fer that head 'o yours" snickered his mate below deck.
"Shaddap!" cussed the drunken man. "How much longer do ya think we needa stay on this damn ass boat 'till we reach land?!"
" 'bout half a day." yawned the mate, clearing too drunk to stay awake.
Robin held her breathe as the man walked past her, he scruffled clumsily onto his feet and crawled to the edge of the ship. Upon closer look, Robin recognize him as the crew's navigator. He already broke the first rule of sailing. As much as Robin knows, the ship's navigator should always be sober as they need to be aware of the weather at all times. Drunk and all, he fought himself trying to pull out his telescope from his coat. Finally manage to pull it out , he dropped it straight now into the pit black ocean as the strong waves crashed on to their little ship.
"BLOODY HELL!" the navigator cussed loudly, as he tried to reach over and catch his telescope. Unfortunately for him, his telescope already disappeared into the waves of the black ocean.
"What's th' matter, mately?" questioned the men below the dock.
"Damn ta hell," He cussed. "Davey Jones had just swallowed my telescope!" A roar of laughter burst out below the deck. "You'er such a nitwit!" one shouted. "Just Com'on down and drink! We are not too far from land!" They laughed.
The navigator hesitantly looked back at the clear winter sky and walked back down with his clunky boots for another drink.
Minutes after then man head back down, Robin finally let herself breathe. The man was gone and she was now out of the red zone. She silently let out a light laugh as dozens of hands began spouting on deck. One by one, they quietly passed a rusty telescope aboard. If the sailor wasn't drunk out of his mind, he would have notice he never heared the sound of the telescope splashing into the ocean depths. The hands quickly made it's way to Robin herself, as she now held it tightly in the grip of her palm. Observing the old telescope with a keener eye, Robin tried to estimate the amount of beri it was worth. It was old and rusty but embellished with gold paint at the core. At most it was only worth 500 berris, just enough for a meal.
Suddenly a cold gust shook the boat. Robin was no navigator but she can tell the tides were changing. Tool of the sea, she pondered. I'm going to give you one last good use. She took a deep breathe and made her way up to the main mass and finally up to the crow's nest. With one eye into the telescope the can already see the rumbling black clouds that were rolling into the open night sky. A storm was coming no doubt about it. Robin was not a bad person at heart, she genuinely wanted to warned the crew. How would she do it was the question she wanted to answer. Just as she began to choke up a little courage, a man popped out of the cellar. It was the cabin boy on board, rolling another barrel of whiskey for his crew. The loud roar of the sky rolling over the moon startled him. Looking up he came face to face with a child. A child with crow black hair and ever shocking blue eyes. "A storm...A storm.." She whispered. "A storm is coming."
Shocked by her appearance the poor boy began choking on his own words. "You should warn your crew." Robin continued trying to be most reassuring as possible. The cabin boy gulped and scurried his way below the deck never leaving his eyes off the child.
The cabin boy ran downstairs, falling and tripping over the last couple of steps. He couldn't breathe. He knew that face. That face of the demon. The demon that will bring their downfall.
"What's wit' th' ruckus, lad?!" yelled his angry captain. " Whar be me whiskey" he slurred drunkenly, obviously looking for his barrel of alcohol. "C-Captain!" the boy squeaked "Th-The Demon Child is on board!"
"Whar?" His Captain slurred. "Thar Diva, Whar?"
"T-The Demon Child." the captain boy yelped, now shaking in fear.
"Speak up, Lad" The captain growled annoyingly.
"THE DEMON CHILD, NICO ROBIN IS ABOARD!" he shout.
The cabin boy was now on the verge of fainting, it was like he mumbled a curse that shaken the whole crew silent.
"What did you say?!" The first mate yelled grabbing the pitiful cabin boy by the throat.
"T-The Demon Child, Nico Robin is aboard" The cabin boy chattered like a broken record. "We're all going to die... The witch has anger the sea. We are all falling into Davey Jones locker!" He yelled like a madman.
The entire crew was silent, the jolly laughter minutes ago was replaced by a cast of white. "N-Nonsense, laddie. Th' the seven seas was just fine moments ago." the Navigator responded.
"Y-yea…." The rest of the crew agreed. Why should they trust a mere cabin boy rather than their navigator.
To their response, the wind screeched like a banshee, and the thunder howled gleefully. The door were blown open and the candles returned to smoke. The boat began rocking dangerously and the flash of lightning split the sky.
"We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" the cabin boy shrieked. The captain bust out of the cellar and onto the deck, only to find him and his crew in the worst storm of their lives. As the ship finally hit a spike in the midst of the chaos, water started seeping in. His shipwrights had desperately try to save the ship, but the water was too much. Seconds from being overthrown by the tides, he realized: That pair of devilish blue eyes are nowhere to be seen.
