The idea for this came to me after watching the Enies Lobby Arc (of course). I couldn't concentrate on my other fic until I wrote this out. There will be more chapters depending on how well this first one is received since I don't want to write more to this if no one is interested. So, please, if you would like more please leave a review. Thank you!

The rocking of her small boat didn't soothe her as she watched her home and everything she'd ever known go up in flames.

Her mother, the archaeologists, and Saul left there to die. He'd promised her that she wouldn't be alone for long. She ran his promise through her mind over and over again as she laughed like he'd taught her.

"Dere-shi-shi-shi-shi."

One day you will find nakama that will protect you.

"Dere-shi-shi-shi-shi."

.oOo. 2 years later .oOo.

Robin made her way across the ocean by helping out on different ships before her bounty poster caught up with her. On one such occasion she took a small life boat and fled before her hosts realized what happened. Now, she was alone again, drifting in the vast glittering blanket that was the ocean. She sat with her arms around her legs gazing out at the horizon. Two years had passed and she had yet to find anyone who wouldn't turn her in.

"Does it really take this long, Saul?" She said out loud without moving from her position, "You promised and nothing is happening. I'm never safe and I'm always hungry. Is it really worth it to live anymore?"

She closed her eyes for a long while. Images flashed through her mind in black and white. Everyone's faces started to blur. She didn't even have one picture to look back on. Her mother's snow white hair was the only clear thing in her foggy memory. The ghost of the embrace that they shared briefly before it was all burned away. Bright orange tongues of destruction eating away at the ancient tree that she loved so much. It was as if she were in a terrible nightmare that she could just wake up from but when she did, reality seemed just as horrible.

When she finally opened her eyes again, the morning had become early afternoon. Her stomach long ago had stopped it's pleas for sustenance, yet when she saw the ship off in the distance it managed a small mewl. The pirate flag immediately stopped any thoughts of help.

She closed her eyes calmly as it got closer waiting for it to pass and continue on its way when her small boat was suddenly jolted and a voice groaned in pain, "Who wants parents like you anyway!"

Robin opened her blue eyes and was surprised to see a boy not a day older than she was with bright blue hair that rivaled the sky. He ignored her as he yelled and ranted to the departing ship and she looked at him curiously waiting for him to notice her.

"Oh, so you're not dead after all." He said crossing his arms as he leaned against the complete opposite side of her boat, "Who are you?"

Robin froze slightly, she hadn't been around anyone for a whole four days and even when she was she wasn't used to being spoken to so directly, "I'm Robin, Who are you and why were you thrown into my boat?"

"My 'parents' decided I was too annoying for them and cause too much trouble. They thought you were dead and wanted to leave me here." He seemed to think about something for a minute before a smirk appeared on his face, "I'm Cutty Flam. You can call me Franky if you want."

"Cutty Flam…what a weird name."

"It's not weird! It's a great name!"

Robin cocked her head to the side a bit looking at this peculiar boy, "You're not going to be annoying for me are you?"

Franky huffed and crossed his arms, "What's it matter? You must have done something pretty bad too if you're all by yourself too."

Her change in mood wasn't lost on Franky. He could swear black tendrils of hate were radiating off her small frame, "They were killed. I didn't do anything. My mother, my friends, everyone I cared about…dead."

It sobered him up a bit. He'd seen plenty of death with his parents on their ship but he couldn't fathom the emotion coming off the raven haired girl. He didn't know what to do when he met her glassy gaze. She was about to cry that much he knew, "Oi, I didn't mean to bring that up. I'm sorry, I had no idea. You've been by yourself since then?"

Robin nodded, rubbed her eyes and sniffled, "That was two years ago. I'm just a freak that everyone is scared of."

"Why? You look normal enough to me."

Robin allowed escape to a small, sad smile before an arm grew out of Franky's shoulder to touch his nose. She watched the same reaction pass over everyone's faces; surprise. Now she waited for the fear and insults she so normally received but instead she saw his expression relax and he smiled and laughed.

"Huh? You don't think I'm a freak?" She asked surprise evident on her face as the boy laughed.

"Why just because you're different? There are many different powers out there. There were a few on our ship. It's no big deal. Well…their ship I guess. I'm not part of that anymore."

"You're not afraid of being alone?"

"I'm not alone. You're here right? You're not alone anymore either."

Robin froze looking at him. The goofy slightly overconfident smile was plastered on his face. He was trying to cheer her up, she realized. Yet she couldn't bring herself to smile. She was so afraid that she was dreaming.

In the back of her mind the image of Ohara burning lingered. The ghost of an embrace from her mother made itself known through goose bumps on her arms. Saul's frozen body begging her to run and the Professor being gunned down just for studying the history of the world etched forever in her mind's eye.

She'd tried to have friends; every one of them abandoning her when they found the bounty on her head. She wasn't worth more than the money offered for her. Could she really trust this speedo wearing boy? Her heart thundered in her chest. He'd said she wasn't alone anymore. It was like someone was shining a light guiding her out of the darkness that threatened to consume her and she was the ever willing moth. The light, so alluring, had caught her.

"Oi, why are you crying? I said we wouldn't be alone didn't I? We'll be fine."

Franky moved closer to her and poked her forehead, "You idiot. I can't tell if you're happy or sad. Now you're smiling but you're crying. Make up your mind already!"

Robin swatted his hand away and wiped away her tears. She then threw her head back and did something she thought she'd never do again; she laughed.

Franky shook his head and reached out again resting his hand on Robin's head and ruffling her hair, "Now, you're kind of weird." He looked around at the boat they were in taking in all the specs. It was a small rowboat, neglected possibly for years by whomever she'd taken it from. It wouldn't last through more than one rough storm. "This boat won't be sturdy enough for the both of us for very long. We'll need to stop at the next island we see. I'll try to fix it up a bit."

Robin looked at the boat, it seemed sturdy enough to her, and "You know how to fix boats? This one seemed okay when I took it from those pirates…a week ago."

"I was learning to be a shipwright…sort of. I became too annoying when I tried to build a battleship. I just like to build things." He said looking around at the flaws in the woodwork. "I want to build a great ship one day and sail it around the world. I still have a lot to learn, not one of my 'Battleship Franky's actually works. It'll barely float. What about you?"

"I want to..." She stopped herself. Many people died to protect her and she'd gotten the bounty on her head for allowing herself free reign of her tongue and admitting to being an archaeologist who could read the ponoglyphs. "..Travel the world and find out everything about this world's history. I want to find out about everything."

"You can come with me if you want." Franky thought out loud adjusting the goggles on his head, "Since we both need to travel to achieve our dreams we can do them together. I'll learn how to build ships better and build you a dream ship! We'll go wherever you need to."

She clung to every word he said like her life depended on it. His will, his enthusiasm for what he believed was like breathing after you've been saved from almost drowning. Not only that but he so easily and willingly wove her into his dream. He'd build her a grand ship and sail her where she wanted to go.

She giggled as a few stray tears ran down her face and she hugged him, "You'd do that for me? Someone you just met?"

Franky's overconfident smirk played on his lips again and he nodded holding out his fist with his thumb up, "Only if you quit confusing me with your laugh-crying."

.oOo. One Year Later .oOo.

"Robin!"

Robin looked up from her spot on their small raft that was now a makeshift home. She closed her book and smiled at the familiar head of turquoise hair. He was running towards her with a huge grin on his face. No doubt he'd found some piece of something for their boat.

She smiled as he slowed to stand before her, "What's gotten you so excited? It can't be dinner because we haven't caught anything in the last two days."

Franky laughed at her small joke and shook his head, "You know the scrap yard I go to to look for parts to our boat? Well, I was caught but this Fishman named Tom and I asked him to teach me to build ships take us in and he said yes! Robin we have a place to stay!"

He watched the smile fade from her face. He knew why it faded; she'd revealed the whole truth to him six months ago. She was afraid he'd try to turn her in but it only made him want to protect her. It made him angry that the government would do such a thing and he promised her that he wouldn't ever turn his back on her. He would always be her friend; no matter what.

"Don't worry, I don't think they know about you or anything and if they do, we'll just leave."

"But he's going to teach you how to build ships! You've always wanted this. I don't want to be the reason that you don't learn."

"You worry too much, Robin. It'll be fine. Come on." He held out his hand to her smiling confidently, he had a feeling things were going to be different, a good feeling about Tom-san.

Robin was weak against his confidence. One that she knew she should have but she didn't. It was, however, infectious and she found herself reaching out to take his hand. If he believed, then so would she.

Kokoro, Yokozuna, Tom-san, and Iceburg quickly became the family they never had. Robin so enthralled with the stories and history of the mermaids followed and helped Kokoro-san wherever she went while Franky went with the boys to build ships. It wouldn't be until dinner time that she would be told he wasn't helping Tom-san and Iceburg but fooling around making his "Battleship Franky."

"I'm on number 7." Franky proudly said one night thumping his fist against his chest as he recounted his story to Robin.

"Gomen, Tom-san. I apologize for any misbehavior Franky may have caused you today." She bowed her head in his direction only to receive a laugh in response.

"Why is Robin-chan so polite and helpful? Not like Bakanky over there that's useless and only builds weapons!" Iceburg piped in giving his step brother an accusing look.

"There's no need to apologize, Robin, Franky learned best his own way. So long as he learns something then he's been helpful enough."

Kokoro pamt Robin on the head reassuringly and smiled, "There see? Everything is fine, Robin."

That night, Robin woke up to shadows dancing against the walls of the small bedroom. She stilled as her heart began to race. An image of the flames dancing in the sky invaded her mind for a brief, paralyzing moment. Looking up from her position against Franky's back she saw Tom away and at his desk pencil and ruler in hand. She yawned and got up walking to stand beside him.

He continued to work and paused a moment to smile reassuringly, "Couldn't sleep?"

She smiled back and shook her head.

"I know who you are, Nico Robin."

Her heart sank hearing these words but before she could run, she felt Tom's hand rest gently on her head. When she met his gentle gaze, she relaxed some.

"I know what the Government says, but I find it hard to believe with you living with us. You don't seem anything like what they say. I would like to know the whole story from your experience. Your bounty may be big but you've been here long enough that we all consider yourself and Franky family. Would you tell me about Ohara?"

Robin had never seen Tom so serious. He always had a goofy smile on his face and laughed. He reminded her of Saul in a way. Hearing his words she could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she nodded and hugged him, "I was so scared you were going to try to take me away. I'll tell you everything I can remember."

She spent a good part of the early night telling Tom everything she could. About how she became an archaeologist so she could get away from her angry aunt and one day travel with her mother. How she learned to read the ponoglyphs so that she could one day learn about the Void Period. All any of them wanted was to learn about what happened in that time. She told them that they wanted nothing but the history. Not to resurrect an ancient weapon. She knew next to nothing about it except that some of the ponoglyphs did mention a weapon.

Tom listened and as she neared the end of her story his usual smile returned and he laughed quietly, "So that's the way of it." He pat her head as she yawned, "Go back to sleep, Robin, and don't you worry. You'll always have a home here with us."

Robin was overjoyed and thanked Tom again with a bow before crawling back under the blanket next to Franky and easily falling asleep again. She'd been accepted, protected, and loved. She silently sent out a thank you to Saul. She believed it was his doing that brought Franky into her small boat that day three years ago and everything else just seemed to follow. She felt for the first time since Ohara that she was safe.

Franky woke up not too much longer later, "What are you working on?"

"Couldn't sleep either could you? I'm working on something that will save our island. It will be the pride and joy of Water 7."

Franky looked up at his mentor with awe, "You really are the best Tom-san."

It was moments like this that made Tom proud. Iceburg gave Franky a hard time but that was because he never saw the Franky that stayed up late to watch him crate blueprints. Ever the eager student he was and always put into practice what he learned from the night before into his newest creations. He laughed on the inside. His small family was growing ever more intelligent. They were easily, already better than the shipwrights in the city. Franky was just very ambitious when it came to his battleships.

The next morning found Marines at Tom's workplace taking him to the court for the charge of assisting the Pirate King Gol D. Roger in acts of piracy. Just because he'd build his ship so many long years ago. Robin, Iceburg, and Franky were all there. Robin hidden under a shawl that Kokoro had placed over her head.

The parole sentence was handed down and all three of Tom's adoptive children sighed in relief. They would have ten years to get the sea train up and running.

Should it really help the islands, then maybe he'll be released from his sentence, Robin thought

Iceburg, Yokozuna, and Tom all began work on the island's hope. Robin and Kokoro would bring lunch and help wherever they could. Robin even got to watch Franky work on one of his ships.

"Why don't you help Tom-san and the others with the train?" She asked one day when they were alone "You know, you should spend as much time with him as you can. When it's done, he may not be with us anymore."

"Shut up. Don't talk like that. Tom is the best. It will work and you'll see, he'll be off the hook and free to do whatever he wants."

"Then why do you pull away from him, Franky? Why do you distance yourself when you could be helping him and learning while you're at it?"

"He's building a train, not a ship. I need to learn how to build a better ship for us. Don't you want to learn the history of the world? You can't do it on a rickety old boat. You need a reliable floating dream ship. I can build any ship, but I still need practice before I can build the ship that carries us around the world."

Robin smiled and shook her head at him, "Franky, We have time before that happens. Come on; let's help make sure that Tom gets free, ne?"

He looked at her and thought for a moment before sighing as if in defeat and followed her to where the others were moving pieces of the train. He picked up a wheel and carried it on his back to the pile that Tom and Iceburg had placed the other pieces. Tom watched Franky go by and smiled looking over at Robin who, with the help of her powers, was also helping move parts.

Things continued in this way for the next 9 years all five of them waking up at the crack of dawn to work on the train until dusk. With each passing year Robin's powers grew stronger and she was able to help more. She also began to notice her best friend Franky growing older and taller. She noticed one day that she had to look up slightly to make eye contact with him. She'd been the first one to grow taller and suddenly he grew like a weed on steroids. She enjoyed watching his strong muscles constricting and stretching under his bronze skin shiny with sweat and the focus he used when he worked.

After a long hard day, and dinner, the two would excuse themselves and wander to the old raft that had so long ago brought them together. It was still in the position it was left in when it was used as a makeshift home. They no longer fit in it and as they saw it Robin laughed.

Franky watched Robin touch the wood of the raft, her fingers long and delicate. Being that they were now teenagers and full of raging hormones he couldn't help but notice how much she'd changed the last eleven years. She was taller, her blue eyes wiser, and she'd started to look more like a woman rather than a girl. Needless to say they didn't sleep together in the same bed anymore after they'd all been embarrassed by "The Talk" from Kokoro and Tom.

"We've come so far haven't we?" Robin said smiling at him, "I'd never dreamed that I'd have a family again."

Franky nodded leaning against the boat, "If we'd never stopped here, we might still be floating on this thing."

"With the shape it was in? We'd be lucky to last a month."

"Oh, so you have learned a thing or two." He teased with a chuckle. An arm sprung from the back of his neck only to hit his head, "I was just teasing, Raven."

"You don't have to call me that here. No one is around." Robin said with a sigh. She'd since been given the alias "Raven" so that when they went in to town her real name wouldn't be heard by the townspeople.

"You never know, can't be too careful…remember the first night we got here?"

Robin smiled and nodded, "You tried to catch fish with some shoelaces you'd found."

"It worked didn't it?" He watched her expression change to a "yeah right" look.

"No, I ended up using my powers to steal some food and you sulked for a while."

Franky laughed along with her. He would often bring up old memories of theirs and laugh about it. Truth was, he couldn't really remember anything before meeting her. Maybe he didn't want to. She was the only one who'd stuck by him for so long. She made him better and she believed in him. Something only a few he'd met in his 16 years of life ever did. He was lost in the moment just looking at her under the moonlight. Where would he be if he'd never met her? He couldn't place the feelings he had right then but he knew he never wanted them to end.

Robin played with a flower she'd picked out of the ground before sitting next to Franky and leaning her head against his shoulder, "Thank you…for everything Franky. I honestly wouldn't know where I'd be had it not been for you. When you fell into my small raft, I think I had been ready to give up on living."

"We saved each other." He smiled and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Tom saved us too."

"Yes, we're forever indebted to him. He gave us a home and family. I hope everything goes well with the train tomorrow and the next year. I'm sure if it's a success then Tom-san will be allowed to live."

"You kidding? We've helped build the most suuuper transportation system ever! He'll definitely be freed we'll just have to wait till the time comes."

They stayed like that for a bit enjoying the sounds of the sea lapping the shore a distance away. Franky finally shifted, "The town is planning a party to celebrate the train tomorrow night. We should go."

"Yeah, it should be fun," she replied tiredly.

She dozed off a few minutes later. Using her powers as often as she had been lately always tired her out. She was able to move things that even Tom had trouble moving. Franky had to force her to take a break one day when one of her many hands dislocated a wrist. It was at that time that Franky realized she felt everything her extra limbs felt.

He picked her up and placed her on his back. Her head supported by his broadening shoulders. He smiled as the faint scent of lilac and lavender reached his nose and was thankful that she wasn't awake to tease him about the blush that crept onto his face.

Once home, he gently set her down in her room and pulled the blanket over her small frame and moved the hair from her face. He gazed at her peaceful features. It was hard to believe she'd gone through so much at such a young age all because of the World Government and now they were threatening to take away Tom. He focused on Robin again before leaning down to kiss her forehead. An overwhelming urge to protect her and those he cared about washed over him and he walked out of the room back out into the night to work on his newest Battleship Franky. Number 16.