"You know...that's the second town we've been run out of now," Run mutters, staring at the azure sky over-head. Their small boat rocks gently with the waves, as they sail onto parts unknown...which would normally be cause for concern but with Nami, their new navigator leading the way, he doesn't feel any at all. Speaking of, as far as Run can tell, she's still a little miffed with Luffy for leaving behind half their treasure haul for the towns people. The red-head reclines against the edge of the ship, elbows draped over the edge.

"It can't be helped, Red," Zoro tells him, fingers threaded behind his head as he reclines against the side of their boat. "We're pirates, after all."

"Alright," calls Nami, attraction the attention of the three. "The way things are right now, there's no way that we should even think about heading for the Grand Line. We need supplies, and we definitely need a proper ship if we're gonna have ANY chance of making it there."

"Aah...yeah, I guess you're right," agrees Luffy. "We definitely need some good food before we go there! Oh! And a cook, too!"

"And some booze," adds Zoro. "Red and I drank what was left."

"If we're getting a new ship, than we definitely need a shipwright, too," Run tells them. "And while we're at it, more crew members."

"Yeah, let's add a musician!" Luffy chirps happily, earning a round of laughter from his two male crew mates, and a insult from Nami. Their navigator informs them that an island is a bit south of them would be a good place to stop to resupply, and attempt to find a proper pirate ship. Naturally, they're on board. So, several hours later they come ashore on a deserted beach. Every one of them is glad to stretch their legs after sailing for a few days.

"So, this is the place?" Run asks her, stretching as he stares ahead at a slope leading off the beach.

"Yeah, apparently, there's a small town here on this island," Nami tells them all, looking briefly at the map. "But it's supposed to be really small." It wasn't a surprise to any of them that the first thing Luffy thought of was finding a place to fill his stomach. But that was put on hold when Zoro informed them that he sensed the presence of others on the beach, and as if on cue a man with a long nose made his appearance on the cliffs over-looking the beach.

"I am Usopp, leader of the pirates who reign over this village!" begins Usopp in way of introduction, making Luffy and Run grin in response. "I've got eighty million subordinates at my disposal, so you pirates had best leave!"

"Eighty million?" echos Nami. "You sure? Are you sure it's not more like...three?" Three boys immediately pop up from the bushes behind the man, and take off at a sprint away from the beach. Luffy, Zoro and Run all break out into laughter while Usopp begins sweating bullets.

"You really remind me of your dad, Yasopp!" Luffy tells him, grinning.

"You know my dad?" Usopp asks them, grinning as well.

"Yeah, he's sailing with Run's dad, Shanks!" Run raises a hand and waves at him.

"E-Eh?! Your dad is the great pirate, Red-Haired Shanks?!" Usopp loses his balance the next moment, and tumbles down the cliff to the beach. Though, he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear as he immediately jumps to his feet and approaches grinning happily. He leads them into town, to a small bar where he bombards Luffy and Run with all kinds of questions about his father. How he's doing, and how strong has he become. He also shows an interest in Run, for being the son of a 'great pirate' as he put it. Usopp was eager to know all he could about the man and it was difficult for the red-head to answer the questions unbiased. No matter how hard he tried, he could never quite look upon at his father and his crew with the same reverance as some of the other pirate crews.

To Run, he was a goof-ball, a booze-hound, a notorious womanizer, and above all else, a good father before he was 'Red-Haired' Shanks...but even so, he was still very much aware of his strength. The same strength that had achieved him renown as a Yonko, one of the single most powerful pirates in the whole world...and it was that strength that he had to surpass. Something Shanks had not only been happy to hear but encouraged him to do when they parted ways all those years ago. When Usopp finally stopped asking about his father, they took that chance to ask him if there was somewhere or someone that they could get a proper ship from.

"A ship, huh?" mutters Usopp. "Well, unfortunately, this village is pretty small so there isn't anything like that here."

"What about that mansion?" Zoro asks him. "I noticed it up on the hill on the way here."

"Do you know those people? Do you think you could ask them for a favor?" Nami begs him.

"No!" exclaims Usopp. "You absolutely cannot go there!" All four of them stare at the man in surprise, who immediately excuses himself, claiming he has something to do before running out the door quickly. They four thought it was strange, but otherwise didn't really give it much mind. instead, they continued eating and drinking, enjoying this down time after their previous troubles with Buggy and his crew. This time was cut short when the doors to the bar burst open and their table was stormed by three children, all three of which demanded the location of their 'Captain' Usopp.

"Usopp?" echos Zoro, grinning evilly as he stares at the children. "If you're looking for Usopp, then I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed because...we already ate him!" The three kids turn as white as ghosts, faces losing their color as they panic, much to the amusement of Luffy and Run as well. After getting an ear full from Nami for being 'childish' they tell the children that he ran off, and they inform him that he went to visit the mansion, and a girl named Kaya. So, naturally, they decided that they would go and visit the girl with Usopp.

"I'll pay the bill and catch up with you guys," Run tells them. Luffy, Nami and Zoro follow the kids out of the bar while he approaches the old man at the counter. "Hey, old timer." He isn't surprised when the bill for their meal is rather huge considering Luffy's, Zoro's and his own appetite so he almost empties out his wallet to pay the bill. "These two are gonna break me." He turns on his heel, and begins to walk out when a woman stands from her table, running right into him and nearly causing him to knock her over before he can catch her.

"Sorry about that," the dark haired woman tells him, smiling from under the hood of her cloak. She's tall...very tall. He's worried that he might lifting her up by accident but a quick glance down shows both feet firmly on the ground. In fact, she's the first woman he's ever met that can meet his eyes without looking up, and honestly, it's kind of attractive to the red-head...and familiar, too. He'd only gotten a small glance under her hood but he's certain he's either meet, or seen her somewhere before.

"No problem." He releases the woman, suddenly aware that he's held her a bit too long, and again she favors him with a smile before placing a few bills on the table and walking out the door. "She was...pretty. And pretty good, too." He pats his back pocket and smirks slightly. "She almost took my wallet without me noticing." The red-head leaves the restuarant, and glances in the direction on the mansion on the hill, and then in the opposite direction. It's the same way the woman departed in. "Haah...sorry, cap'n, but I'll have to catch up later..."

The woman isn't difficult to locate, she's the only person on the island wearing a cloak in the beautiful weather, after all. Run follows her at a distance, curiosity keeping him simply calling her out and demanding the return of his stolen wallet. She doesn't seem to be someone from the island which only serves to further feed his curiosity. Why would someone come to such a small island simply to pick a few pockets? So, Run continues tailing the woman, her pace slow, almost a stroll, actually.

He's sure she knows she's being followed, after all, he hasn't exactly been trying to be subtle about it. She takes a road leading out of the village, continuing her slow stroll as if she hasn't a care in the world. Then, almost as soon as the village is completely out of sight behind them, the woman suddenly turns off the road, and disappears into the forest. "Running away, huh?" mutters Run, turning into the forest and following quickly. He moves at a sprint, trying to keep up with the woman between dodging trees and brush. "She's pretty fast."

The woman is quick on her feet, and seems to know exactly have to give someone the slip...although, oddly enough, she doesn't seem to be interested in doing that. True, she stays a step ahead of the red-head somehow, but she doesn't completely leave his sight, allowing him to continue the chase. The trees begin to thin, the brush begins to clear, and light sunlight shines brightly ahead of them. The end of the forest...she's led him quite far from the village. Through an entire forest, it , the woman seems to turn up her speed, disappearing quickly from sight.

Run doubles his speed, moving at a dead sprint in an attempt to catch up with the woman before she completely gives him the slip. He breaks free of the tree line, and barrels right towards the edge of a cliff. "OH, SHIT!" He tries to stop, getta scraping across dirt and grass, but it won't be enough. He's gonna go over! The red-head reaches the edge, pitches forward and suddenly comes to a complete stop hanging over the edge at a ninety-degree angle. He stares down at jagged rocks, worn sharp, and smooth by the constant battering of the ocean tide. A pair of hands tightly grip his shoulders, keeping him from falling, but making no move to pull him out of harms way.

"That was awfully close," calls a female voice from behind. "Any slower, and you might have ended up a nothing but a bloody stain on the rocks below."

"Seems that way," agrees Run. "Uhh...do you mind?"

"Hm? Oh." He's wrenched back onto solid ground seconds later, and he releases a sigh of relief. He turns back, expecting to find the woman close but instead finding two sets of disembodied arms growing from the earth in front of him. The cloaked woman stands several feet away, arms crossed in front of herself. "It would be a shame if you died before we had a chance to talk."

"That's a pretty neat trick."

"My Devil Fruit affords me a number of 'neat tricks'." The arms disappear, and she uncrosses her own before holding up his wallet for him to see. "I was wondering if you would notice I had taken it. If you hadn't, well...it certainly would have made our meeting all the more difficult." She looks at his wallet for a moment, turning it over in her hands a few times before tossing it back.

"And what if I hadn't noticed?"

"I would have improvised."

"I see. You went through all that trouble to lure me out here to...talk?" He tucks the leather item into his pocket and then crosses his arms. "I could think of a few easier ways of doing that then picking my pocket. 'Hello, my name is'...actually, what is your name exactly, Miss?" She casually brushes back the hood of her cloak to reveal a dark haired young woman. He's twenty but she appears a bit older than he is. She looks to be in her mid to late twenties.

"Nico Robin."

"And what did you want to talk about?"

"You, actually." The red-head arches a brow in response. "I had heard that Buggy the Clown was taken down by Shanks son, Run, in the East Blue. Naturally, I was curious to see the son of the great Yonko 'Red Haired' Shanks." His eyes narrows slightly in response. "You are him, aren't you?"

"I am," Run freely admits. After all, it's just the two of them. "But...don't tell me you really came all the way out here because you were curious?"

"Of course. I had to know the truth."

"How would you have known if I were lying?"

"I'd have known."

"How? What, have we met somewhere before?" She remains silent despite his prodding and he heaves a sigh. "Well, what if I was an imposter? What would you have done then?" A light brush against his back, causes him to look over his shoulder at another set of disembodied arms, ready to grab him by the back of his shirt and throw him to his death. "Hah, you were gonna throw me off the cliff?"

"I wouldn't have suffered a fake making a mockery of that mans name." The way she says it, the way she stares at him...he's overcome again with the strangest feeling that he really has seen or met this woman somewhere before. Run just cannot seem to shake it. He certainly has some questions to ask...but first things first he needs to meet up with the rest of the crew again.

"And now that you have your answer? What do you intend to do?"

"I don't know. I traveled all this way to find out the truth...I think maybe I might take in the sights for a bit." She turns and walks back towards the forest rather calmly, stopping only briefly to look back at him. "Until we meet again, Run..."

Run walks calmly back towards the small town, a great number of questions swirling rapidly around in his mind. That woman, Nico Robin, had tracked him down just to confirm his identity...she'd tracked him with frightening accuracy and speed, at that. The ease with which it was done disturbs the red-head. Only someone exceptionally well-connected could pull off something like that. She didn't seem to be Navy either, since she hadn't attempted to apprehend him. In fact, she seemed to have every intention of killing him if he were a faker.

But the thing that most bothers Run is the fact that she seems to KNOW both him and his father. She seemed to be absolutely certain that she would recognize him the moment she saw him...granted, his hair is a dead give away, he'd never met anyone else with a hair color like his or his father's. But that could be fixed with a bit of hair-dye. The more he thinks about it the more questions rise, and the more a head-ache begins to form. Run pinches the bridge of his nose gently and heaves a sigh.

Best to just put it all in the back of his mind for now, and just focus on finding the crew, and then a ship. Hearing someone shouting ahead of him, the red-head rounds a small bend and finds himself approaching the exact people he was looking for. "Nami, Zoro!" Run calls, earning their attention.

"It took you this look to pay the bill, Red?" Zoro questions him.

"I got turned around." Zoro doesn't buy his excuse, not even for a second, and it shows clearly on the swordsman's face. Although, he does drop it for the moment which Run is grateful for. The red-head looks from Zoro to Nami and then back. "Where'd Luffy get off to?"

"Probably chasing after these kids 'Captain'." He nods in understanding. The child who was shouting earlier begins shouting again, going on and on about some strange looking 'backwards guy' coming their way and as if one que the person in question appears over the hill, moon-walking in their direction and only stopping when he's in front of them.

"Hey...who are you calling weird?" the man asks them. "I am not weird."

"Guess again," chuckles Run.

"You seem pretty weird," Nami tells him plainly. The man introduces himself as a hypnotist much to the amazement of the children, who quickly forget about him being a 'weird' guy in their excitement. The man appears upset by this...but none the less produces a ring attached to a string and dangles it in front of their eyes.

"Alright, on 'one, two, Jango,' you'll fall asleep," he tells them, beginning to swing it slowly. "One...two...Jango!" All four immediately fall asleep much to the irritation of Zoro and Run. Unsure whether or not they should wake up the man they instead decide to wake the children and leave the man to sleep it off. After all...it wasn't exactly their problem that the man couldn't even stay awake through his own hypnotism. They wander down the path, led by the children who jabber on about this and that with Nami while Zoro and Run several steps walk behind them.

"So, Red, you wanna tell me what really held you up?" Zoro asks him.

"Haah, I don't even...I don't even know where to start, Zoro," Run admits honestly.

"You could start with the person tailing us."

"Her name is Nico Robin. Apparently...she was looking for me." The swordsman arches a brow in response. "Apparently, Buggy has been running his mouth to anyone who will listen. Now, suddenly, the whole world seems to know who I am and who my father is. Which is exactly what I don't want."

"Is she going to be a problem?"

"She shouldn't." He neglects to mention that the woman had every intention of throwing him to his death if he wasn't who he claimed to be. "So, what happened at the masion? Did I miss anything?" Zoro explains the situation to him. How they'd been thrown out by a butler by the name of Klahadore, and they hadn't been able to secure a proper ship. They walk the rest of the way in silence, listening to the children talk with Nami about this or that until their orange haired navigator finally stops and hops up onto a fence rail.

"Our Captain has been gone for so long," complains one of the children.

"Luffy, too," adds Zoro. "They'll be back when they've finished whatever it is they're doing."

"Aah! Captain!" All eyes turn in the direction the kid is pointing to see Usopp sprinting in their direction.

"Speak of the devil."

"Hm? Shouldn't Luffy be with him?" Run asks, leaning back against the fence. He rests his arms on the railing, watching the man approaching at a dead sprint.

"Hey, Usopp, where's Luffy?" Nami asks him, watching as he sprints by. "Wasn't he...?" He disappears into the distance, ignoring them entirely as he continues sprinting. "I wonder what's gotten into him? You don't think he's still mad, do you?"

"Who knows," mutters Zoro, trying to be calm but he can't ignore the feeling in his gut. "Hey, brats, where exactly is this place that Usopp goes to...?"

The place in question was a huge cliff over-looking the blue sea which seemed to stretch out without end towards the horizon. Run crosses his arms and whistles appreciatively. "Talk about a view," remarks Run. "I can see why he comes here."

"Well, here it is!" exclaims one of the children. "Our Captain comes here all the time." The kids take a quick look around before deciding that Luffy is not here...which is easy for the others to see. Nami approaches the edge of the cliff and kicks a small stone over the edge.

"It doesn't look very stable here," complains Nami, gazing over the edge at the rocks below.

"Hey, careful," Run tells her, watching her carefully just in case. "A fall from here would be pretty bad, ya know." The navigator nods in understanding, and steps back from the edge carefully. Something catches her eye, however, and she locks in on what looks like a body...which she immediately indentifies as being Luffy.

"L-Luffy! It's Luffy!" Everyone runs to the edge, looking down at the rocks where their Captain has fallen.

"Zoro, we're going down there!" To everyone's amazement the two leap straight over the edge, plummeting down to land heavily behind the man looking no worse for wear despite the huge fall. It takes only a few moments for the children and Nami to slide down behind them. "He fell? There's no way he's dead...we jumped and we're fine." Nami and the children go into a state of panic...which isn't even interrupted by a loud snore from the half-buried Captain in front of them.

"Quiet," Zoro tells them, silencing them immediately as another snore fills the air. Run pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration as he stares at his oldest friend. "Son of a bitch..." Zoro jabs him in the ass with the saya of his sword, immediately disturbing Luffy's sleep who pulls himself out of the hole with a loud yawn.

"Aaaah! Morning!" Luffy greets them, smiling.

"How the hell did you end up all the way down here at the bottom of the cliff, Luffy?" Run asks him.

"Ah...aah! That! Well, ya see, I was hypnotized...I think." The red-head sighs a bit in response. "But that doesn't really matter because that butler guy is planning to attack the village with some pirates and kill Kaya." The kids immediately go into a panic and while it is somewhat amusing to Luffy, Zoro and Run it doesn't do anything to help the situation.

"If he's gone to tell the village that's good," Nami finally tells them. "That means that they'll have a chance to run away before the pirates show up." Agreeing with her on the issue, the children quickly took off down the beach, running towards home it would seem.

"What do you think we should do, Luffy?" Run asks him.

"Hmm," grunts Luffy, crossing his arms. "We should definitely go into town and stock up on meat before that guy runs away!" Zoro whacks him in the back of his head with his sword in retaliation, causing him to chuckle a bit. "Well, I guess...we should probably save this town, then."

"If it's the Captain's orders," Zoro replies, all three grinning at the prospect of an impending fight.

"Why are you three so blood-thirsty?!" growls Nami, glaring at the trio. "Don't you know when it's time to run away?! Why do you always have to rush head long into everything...?!"

The sun had nearly set by the time they caught up with the children, and even Usopp who was walking away from the village. They children called out to him, attracting his attention. Needless to say, he was rather surprised to see Luffy alive and well after his plummet over the edge of the cliff but he just laughed it off. The children questioned him about Klahadore but to their surprise he just laughed, saying that he had made the whole thing up. While the children accepted what he said as the undisputed truth, the others were not so convinced even as he sent the children on home for the night.

They followed the man to the same beach, and when they arrived the sun had set entirely, sinking below the sea and giving way to a star lit night. "Why'd you lie to the kids?" Luffy asks him, looking down at the sitting man. "You seemed pretty sure of yourself earlier."

"Because I'm a liar," Usopp tells him. "Even when I'm telling the truth no one believes me. I tried to tell Kaya the truth but...it didn't go well." Usopp lowers his head shamefully. "This village is going to be attacked tomorrow and there's no one that is gonna believe me. I don't know if I can save this village but...even so, I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Usopp stands up quickly, a look of determination on his face that just doesn't quite reach his knocking knees. "I'll protect this village myself if that's what I have to do!"

"Jeez, that's so sweet that I think I'm gonna get a cavity," complains Zoro, grinning from ear to ear. "You pushed your crew away to confront these pirates on your own even knowing that you don't stand a chance against them just so they wouldn't get hurt...I can respect that kind of courage."

"Hah, now we're definitely gonna help you!" chirps Luffy, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"Our father's go back a long way," Run tells him, smirking a bit. "You need my help? You can always count on it, Usopp."

"Y...You're really gonna help?" Usopp asks them, unsure if he's heard them correctly. "Why?"

"Cause you look absolutely terrified," Luffy, Zoro and Run tell him in unison, pointing at his still shaking knees.

"I-I don't need your sympathy! If that's all this is then-"

"Not a single one of us would risk our lives for something like that," retorts Zoro bluntly. "We're simply honoring your courage to fight these guys by yourself."

"We don't need any other reason than that," adds Luffy. This earns a grin and a gush of emotion from the sharp-shooter, who goes on and on about how he cannot believe that they're risking their lives to help him which most of them just ignore for the most part. After a bit of questioning Usopp tells them that the only way the pirates can get to the village, and Miss Kaya is to go through a small slope which they would make impossible to do with a well placed oil slick. "That seems pretty easy!"

"It's pretty easy to say...but we'll be fighting a bunch of pirates! The rest will depend on what we can do against them. What can you guys do?"

"Cut."

"Stretch."

"Steal."

"Brawl."

"Good! I know how to hide," Usopp tells them, only to be screamed at by the others. "I-It was just a joke! Relax...!"

The whole slope is covered in it, doused with several barrels of oil to ensure that no one will be able to get up. "That should do it," remarks Run, sitting on one of the empty barrels. "The only thing that could go wrong is if someone slipped." Luffy laughs in response. They sit in silence, watching the sunrise and waiting for the arrival of Klahadore and his pirates.

"They should be here soon," remarks Zoro, gazing at the rising sun. "The sun's up."

"You're sure this is the right place?"

"Well...they had their meeting here, so I assume this should be the place," reasons Usopp, arms crossed as he stares down the slope.

"That isn't a yes, ya know."

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Nami suddenly asks them, hands held up to her ears. "It sounds like yelling from somewhere else. You...You don't think the pirates are coming up somewhere else do you?" She turns to look the sharp shooter. "Is there anywhere similiar to this near the village?"

"Similiar to...c-crap! There's a place like this to the north! If they come up there...!"

"How far away?" Run asks, standing quickly and turning to face him. The man stutters in response, and Run repeats the question with more urgency, "How far, Usopp?!" He quickly explained that it would only take a few minutes to reach the shore if they ran there. Luffy took off running without hearing another word and Usopp followed immediately after him, leaving Zoro, Nami and Run to watch them disappearing into the distance. "North shore...isn't that where we left our ships?"

"Wait a second...we did!" shrieks Nami. "My treasure! I left my treasure there! They're gonna take my treasure! We need to-" Before she can finish her sentence, she slips on the oil and reaches out to grab the nearest thing to catch herself. Which just happens to be one of Zoro's swords and results in him being pulled down the slippery slope with her.

"O-Oi, Red! Gimme a hand!" shouts Zoro reaching out just in time for Run to snag his wrist. Before he can do anything to pull them up, Nami actually climbs up the swordsman and uses him, and then Run as stepping stones to get back to the unslicked ground. The two slide down the slope right to the bottom without interruption.

"Sorry, but my treasure is in danger! I'm sure the two of you can figure out a way back up!"

"I'm gonna kill her!"

"Now's not really the time for that," Run tells him, staring up the slope and trying to think of some way to get them back up. Before Run can even begin to figure out a way up, Zoro charges right up the slope, slipping and sliding on the oil but still managing to get half way up before sliding back down. "Just trying to run up it isn't going to get us anywhere."

"You got a better idea?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," chuckles the red-head. The two look around for a moment, trying to come up with some way to get up. "There's no hand-holds, and scaling the cliff is outta the question. Maybe-" Before he can finish Zoro goes charging up the slope again, this time using his swords to pierce the stone and claw his way up. "What the...? Oi! Little help!"

"Sorry, Red. At least one of us has gotta go help Luffy! Just try to catch up quickly!" Saying that, Zoro sheathes his swords and charges up the slope to disappear into the forest.

"You son of a bitch!" The red-head charges up the slope as well, but succeeds only in slipping and sliding back down. Again, and again he tries but always with the same result, and all the while the sounds of fighting continue to grow louder and louder in the distance. "Fuck me this is annoying!" Run growls loudly as he stares at the stone around him. "How the fu-"

"You seem to be in a bit of a jam," calls a voice that Run recognizes from the top of one of the rocky walls. The red-head look up towards the woman, who stares down at them calmly. In fact, she appears to be somewhat amused by their situation. She's no longer wearing the cloak, instead, it's some kind of skimpy purple cowgirl outfit, complete with a hat.

"Still taking in the sights, I see." She calmly drops down to the slope, standing across from him with the oil-slick between them. Those questions he's had seem to surface in

"Don't you think that's a good thing for you, Run?" Before he can respond, she crosses her arms in an 'X' in front of her, and a number of additional arms sprout from the ground, interlocking and creating something similar to a bridge. He crosses quickly, needing no further invitation. When he's reached the other side, the arms disappear as easily as they had appeared.

"Looks like I owe you a thanks...again." He intends to be on his way, to go help out the crew but the questions he's had nagging at him since their last meeting just won't let him...at least not yet. "Robin, have we met somewhere before? Why are you even helping me?" Several long moments of silence is his response, and when it becomes absolutely clear she doesn't intend to answer, he simply sighs softly. "Alright. Fine. Suit yourself. Everyone has something they-"

"May I ask you a question?"

"Haah. You know, for someone who doesn't like to answer questions...you certainly ask a lot of 'em." Again, she's silent and the red-head heaves yet another sigh. "Fine. Shoot."

"That scar, on your head...how did you get it?" He reaches up up to touch the thin crescent shaped scar just at the edge of his left eye, moving up towards his temple. He searches his memory for a moment before slowly shaking his head in the negative...which is rather strange to him. Usually, he has no problem remembering something.

"I don't remember, it's pretty old. I think...I think I slipped or something like that." He lowers his hand and chuckles a bit. "Actually, I'm surprised you noticed it. It's so faded that no one has ever noticed it before." Robin looks away from him, out to sea in response. "I've answered your question. Feel like answering one of mine, now?" In the distance, the sounds of fighting once again intensify.

"That may have to wait, don't you agree?"

"Huh. Don't think that I'm just gonna let this go. You owe me answers, Nico Robin..."