Renegade Hearts
by Kaline Reine

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I claim nothing.

WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes which may or may not be consensual, possible violence, cursing, dark and/or adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. Not all of my stories contain such things, but many of them will. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. This is the same warning that is on all of my stories, just in case. You have been warned.

(I doubt this particular story is going to be all that bad, but I tend to get carried away sometimes, so you never know.)


Chapter 28:

They'd spent the past three days together. Ace and Robin had thoroughly enjoyed each other's company during their time together. They'd had a lot of fun, and even made interesting use of the hammocks they found in the other cabin on board the Going Merry. Neither had forgotten about their secret pact, but it would likely be a long while before they would next meet.

The two had spent many romantic nights together, with many more to come. They were highly attracted to one another and drawn in... She to his strength, and he, to her softness.

When it was time to say goodbye, Ace had made sure she was still going to be taken care of. He knew she would be safe with Luffy. He would entrust her safety to no one else, although he knew it was kind of silly, because she was more than capable of handling things on her own. He just wanted peace of mind. He didn't want to have to constantly worry over whether or not she was okay. It would have distracted him from his mission. He would have been unable to function properly if he were worried about her safety constantly, and it might have caused him to be unable to leave her side at all.

"Stay here, love..." He told her, kissing her one last time and leaving her utterly breathless. "Hide down here and, when the time is right, join my brother's crew."

"They should be back soon," Robin nodded in agreement, her eyes glossing over at the thought of what was about to happen. The uncertainty of it all was enough to cause her to be upset, without the thought of losing Ace too.

"I'll miss you."

"Love you..." She blushed, still getting used to having this kind of affection with someone.

"I love you too." Ace never was one for drawn out or sappy goodbyes, but if he had to do it, then he was going to do it properly. He let his hand caress her beautiful face one last time, before forcing himself to pull away. "I should go before they get here. Remember, we'll meet again later."

"Yes... Be safe."

"You too."

The very last thing they did before he turned away was to enjoy one last kiss... He held her for several minutes longer than he knew he should have, before eventually picking up his bag and going.

Robin had already told Bon Kurei not to inform them anyone was waiting on the Going Merry while he was gone. He had agreed not to tell the Strawhats about her presence, nor Ace's. It was a good thing he was in on their plan. He'd called earlier that morning to say that the Strawhats should arrive by nightfall.

The sun was going down and Ace had gathered all of his things. He exited the ship, trudging across the sands to get back to the last place where he'd left the Striker. He was taking a different route, so he wouldn't be spotted.

She went to the bow of the ship to see him off. She watched him until he'd disappeared from sight completely. It was hard letting the love of her life go like that, but it was for the best. This would mark the start of a new adventure... Her time with Baroque Works had come to a close. She was almost giddy at the thought of getting a new beginning, even if she and Ace did have to go their separate ways. Their goals were not the same and they would only put each other in more danger, and they would be seeing each other again later on, after all. It was a promise. And if there was one person she knew she could always count on, it was Ace.

It meant a lot just knowing he was still her ally... And that he cared for her, loved her, even when no one else had ever dared to.

'I'll never forget you, Ace...' She sighed, going back into the cabin before someone spotted her.

They had arranged a small hiding spot for her. Admittedly, it wasn't the most clever of hiding places, but it would do.

Most stowaways chose the powder room where ammunition was kept or the pantry where the food was stored. That was practically basic pirate ship stowaway 101. It was the first place they would check. As such, it was not a good idea to hide anywhere below deck.

Robin had instead chosen to hide under the bed in the cabin, the same one she and Ace had made love on several times. Before he'd left, they had checked out almost the entire ship, examining it's every nook, and this was still the best bet, as far as a place to hide. She had even briefly entertained the idea of hiding within the branches of the tangerine trees that were growing on board. She still had yet to figure out their purpose, but she would make a note to ask the crew about it later...

'Better hide now,' She thought. 'Before they get here...'

It was hard to pinpoint exactly how long it would take for the Pirates to get from Alubarna to their ship. She crawled along the deck and hid herself beneath the spare sheets that she'd found stored there. Everything had been cleaned and they'd made sure not to leave any signs they were even there.

All she had left to do was wait...


Luffy had awoken after about three days of sleep, demanding food immediately. His crew did the best they could to satisfy him. They had plenty of food left over from the enormous party held at the palace. King Cobra was more than happy to provide for their Kingdom's savior. Many of Alabasta's citizens were also still celebrating their victory.

They were just getting ready to bid farewell to the King, when they'd received a visitor... Captain Bon Kurei, formerly known as Mr. Two, told them he had something that belonged to them. At first, their Captain had taken it as a very serious threat, before he revealed that he had been keeping their ship safe for them. He told them they needed to hurry and make it to the river to get it before the tide receded again. The only reason he'd managed to get it so close to them was due to the unusually high amount of rain that had fallen in the region off and on over the past few days, which made sense.

Luffy had really wanted Vivi to come with them, but it was unknown whether she would agree to join his crew or not. The Princess wasn't expected to make such a huge decision until they left, but they were getting ready to leave soon... So he gave her until noon. At the last minute, she had chosen to remain in her Kingdom. She could never abandon her home, nor her people. It was a noble and selfless decision, because it was fairly obvious that deep down, she'd wanted to come with them. Her sense of duty to her Kingdom was more important over all, however. So Luffy and the rest of the Strawhats understood her choice and they said their goodbyes.

It had taken them about half a day to reach the river... Luffy was so happy when he found their ship was still in tact and had been hidden away from the Marines. He thanked Bon Kurei, who went to his own ship that was anchored not too far away.

His crew all boarded, and they prepared to set sail. They did a routine check on all the rooms and made sure they had enough supplies for the duration of their trip to the next island.

Robin waited down below, unknown to anyone... She could feel her heart beating out of her chest every time someone walked by her. She didn't see Luffy anywhere, but she did hear his voice coming from outside the cabin. At least, it sounded like him. She saw a pair of high heeled sandals, obviously belonging to a woman, moving across the wooden floor. She walked around and put some things away. When she moved away, Robin noticed her bright orange hair. It was probably the one called Nami... The Strawhat Pirates were already well-known and she recognized her from the wanted posters.

The young navigator went through some things on the desk on the far side of the room. It sounded like papers were being moved around. She checked the usual places for intruders and stowaways, seeming satisfied that her room hadn't been disturbed. Everything was in it's place.

"What's this doing here?" Nami picked up a small tangerine from the nightstand.

'Crap!' Robin's eyes widened. 'I forgot about that! She'll find me for certain...'

She'd been eating a snack right before getting into her hiding place, and one of the delicious pieces of fruit was still there. She had been cautious, but not cautious enough... Just when Nami was looking around suspiciously, something caught her attention. There was cannon fire coming from somewhere nearby. It sounded so close, like it almost hit the ship.

Someone cried out that a ship had been spotted close by. It wasn't Bon Kurei's. Everyone, including the girl who had entered the room, ran outside to see what the panic was about... Everyone except Robin, of course. She pulled the extra blankets down tight around her body, struggling to hide herself better. If it was an enemy ship, she would not hesitate to come out and defend the Strawhats, whether they welcomed her presence or not. Maybe they would be grateful for the help? But she hesitated because she really wanted to Stick to Ace's plan, if at all possible. It was a good one, if she could pull it off.

The Strawhats noticed a ship with white sails coming toward them. From her hiding place, Robin heard a man's voice call out something about a Marine woman named Hina... She knew that name... She was known as the Black Cage. She'd made a name for herself after eating the Ori Ori no Mi, which gave her abilities to trap her opponents. Robin didn't know why she chose to serve the damned Marines, but that was her business. She just hoped they didn't know she was here.

"Unfurl the sails!" Luffy called, causing everyone on his crew to shuffle around the deck in a frantic swarm. "And return fire!"

Suddenly, the ship was moving. She could feel the vibrations as the anchors were raised, the sails came down, and they were sailing away. Everyone did what he ordered them to without question. He was a natural born leader, that was for sure.

In the distance, Luffy and his crew spotted Bon Kurei's ship. As soon as they saw it, the Den Den Mushi rang loudly. The Captain picked up.

"Yeah?"

"Strawhat! Long time, no see!" It was Bon Kurei.

"We just saw you-"

"I know, it was just a formality... Listen, that ship is under the control of Hina, the Black Cage. She's very dangerous. I'm going to distract her and lure her away. When I do, you guys make a run for it, okay?"

"Wow, thanks!" He grinned widely. "We owe ya one!"

"Don't mention it." With that, he hung up.

Luffy was quick to comply with his orders. All he had to do was nod. His crew had heard everything, and they scrambled to comply as quickly as they could.

The Going Merry sailed down river, leaving the other two ships behind. It looked like it was working and Hina's ship was pursuing Bon Kurei for now... Nami helped them steer their way toward the open ocean. Various shouting could be heard on board the Going Merry, as they steered it down the river. If the current winds prevailed, it wouldn't take that long for them to reach the sea.

Robin crouched down as low as she could. She felt her stomach tighten up. This whole situation was making her very nervous. She knew that the Marines were on their trail. She could only hope they would follow Bon Kurei's ship instead. She was lucky to have such a competent accomplice. She had to make sure that her presence wasn't discovered yet. If Luffy knew she was here so soon, he would send her back to Alabasta, he would throw her off the ship without a second thought... And she couldn't stand for that. There was nothing left for her back there, especially now that Ace had left.

Eventually, she heard Nami call that they'd reached the open ocean and were setting sail for the next string of islands along the Grand Line. It was a relief, but Robin still couldn't afford to relax just yet. They would still have to make it a good distance from Alabasta before she could make her presence known.

It wasn't until several hours later, after they'd sailed away from Hina's ship and the beautiful desert kingdom that they'd helped to save, that she finally began to feel better about things. Maybe Ace was right and his brother would easily accept her.

The Strawhats seemed to be relaxing now too. They'd let their guard down, after they'd seen the Marines being lead away by Bon Kurei's decoy ship. He'd disguised it as the Merry and it had worked like a charm. They were now going in the opposite direction. They'd had no sight of any other ships since they'd left the waters surrounding Alabasta. Everyone was going about with their various chores and they didn't notice her at all.

There was no other way to let them know about her presence than just to show up. They'd figure out the rest once they saw her. And Pirates generally only had one of three set reactions to that type of thing. They would either kill her, leave her stranded somewhere, or... Accept her as part of their crew. The problem was, they couldn't afford to risk going back to Alabasta to drop her off. Especially not after the Marines were so close to catching up to them. She was taking a huge gamble, and she knew it.

Sighing, Robin rolled over. She came out from under the bed, leaving the blanket behind. It was way too warm under there anyway. She dusted herself off, took a deep breath, and.. Hesitated.

'Can I really go out there?' She wondered, her hand pausing on the doorknob. 'What will they do to me when they discover I've been hiding here? Well... Too late to go back now.'

Opening the door, she revealed herself. No one said a thing. She'd been expecting a much bigger reaction. The stowaway looked around at the Strawhats, the fearsome Pirate crew led by one of the most feared men on the seas... They were all going about their business, doing various tasks and completing chores on deck. They had their backs to her. She'd come out into the open, and still no one had even noticed that she was there.

Robin walked up to the upper deck, watching them all. They looked so peaceful and content. Everyone was helping out and doing their part to contribute. They performed like a team. Luffy was sitting up front, at the bow of the ship, looking out over the ram's head that adorned his ship. He got up to do something, and wandered over to other members of his crew. He still hadn't noticed the woman sitting on the railing. He kept getting closer to her, but he was focused on other things.

"I take it you aren't used to dealing with stowaways much," She grinned, finally making her presence known.

Luffy's beady black eyes stared up at her in wonder. It was as if she were a Cheshire cat, who had just appeared out of the blue. And she had the smile to match. The rest of the crew dropped what they were doing. All eyes were now on her.

"Oh," He said this in the most nonchalant tone. "It's you..."

"Who the hell is she?" The green haired swordsman asked, in a rough tone.

"Hey, I remember her..." A blond man with curly eyebrows leered at her suggestively.

"Oh yeaaahhh... Well, something about her looks familiar." The small talking reindeer added. Robin recognized him from the newspaper. It was rumored that he was their mascot or a pet or something.

"Did you just stowaway on our ship?" Nami joined them, with a hand on her hip. "I think she was the one who attacked us before. This isn't good."

"I don't know if we can trust her." The long-nosed marksman had the guts to say what they were all thinking.

'I should have known that one would be trouble,' Robin sighed to herself. 'I'd better come up with something quickly...'

Luffy held up his hand and his crew fell silent. Even if he was somewhat goofy, his crew certainly seemed to respect them. Their Captain approached the intruder, waiting to see what she wanted.

"But guys," He attempted to put their worries to rest. "She's the one who helped me defeat Crocodile. I don't think she's that bad."

"Alright you...!" Usopp pointed a finger at her, to distract everyone from the fact that his knees were shaking with fear. "We know you were working for that Crocodile guy!"

"Why are you on our ship anyway? Are you looking for a fight?" Nami asked her point-blank, crossing her arms defiantly.

"To tell you the truth..." Robin took a deep breath, her chest heaving in her purple corset top, deliberately drawing a little extra attention from the male members of the crew. "I've decided to join your crew."

She wasn't asking, she was telling. It would happen, it would... She kept telling herself that, repeating it over and over like a mantra, in her head.

Luffy seemed lost in thought. He walked around to inspect her more closely, as if trying to decide if she were being truthful or not. He'd already seen her abilities in action... He knew she was strong. And it wouldn't hurt to have an extra crew member around. He didn't really know what kinds of things could be awaiting him further down the line.

"What are your reasons?" He finally asked.

'Good,' She thought. 'So he's at least willing to hear me out.'

"Back in Alabasta... I'd given up all hope. I'd lost my will to live. I was ready to die at the hands of Crocodile. I'd betrayed him, just before you showed up. I knew he would try to kill me but I didn't care. I wanted to die, I was ready... But you came in and saved me. And now there's nowhere left for me to go... So I'm your problem now."

"I see..." He nodded firmly.

"So I can join you...?"

"Yes. Welcome to the Strawhats." Luffy stated simply.

That was that. There was no room for argument. It was either kill her, or let her join, and he didn't seem to be in the mood for a fight today. They had just gotten done celebrating their victory, after all. To fight with her now would have been beyond pointless. Luffy looked to the rest of his crew to see their reactions... Although the decision had already been made, he still sought their approval.

"It's fine with me!" Chopper piped up. "She seems really nice..."

"Hmm..." Zoro seemed to reconsider. "I don't know about her yet. Guess we'll have to see."

"A woman as beautiful as yourself is always more than welcome aboard any ship I'm a cook on," Sanji practically drooled all over her. "Can I get you anything to eat, Miss? Or a drink, perhaps?"

"Please don't call me Miss," She stated, which obviously surprised several of them. "It brings back bad memories... Just plain Robin is fine. And I'm okay, thank you."

"Alright plain Robin!" Luffy smirked. "Let's get you a place to stay, shall we? We have a cabin with hammocks, or you could always stay with Nami, or-"

"Hey!" The redhead screeched. "She is not sleeping in a cabin full of you perverts! We can share my room."

"Thank you for the kind gesture." Robin smiled at her. She could tell they were going to be good friends, in no time.

"Don't mention it... Of course, I'll have to charge you a small fee! I hope it won't be too much trouble..."

'Ah, I see... So she's that type. A true Pirate, then!'

Robin giggled. "I may have to give you some IOU's for a while, but that's fine with me."

She could always figure out some way to get out of it later... For now, she decided to just go along with whatever demands they made of her, within reason.

"Come on, we should go get the extra guest bed out of storage for her..." Nami dragged Sanji along with her.

"Anything you say, Nami-swaaannn!"

"Thank you for accepting me as part of your crew," She bowed to them, humbly.

"It's no problem at all!" Luffy smiled, on behalf of the rest.

Robin just smiled at their antics. Everyone else had already gone back to what they were doing. She went back into Nami's cabin to have a look around. It would be kind of odd calling this place home. But at least, for the most part, the Strawhats had been accepting of her. She was a member of their crew now, and that was that. Her true adventure was only just beginning.

Robin closed her eyes, and with a faint smile, she silently thanked the brave Whitebeard Pirate who was watching over her...

~THE END~


A/N: Just so you know, I was originally planning to go into other atory arcs with this fic... I was going to explore the Waters 7, Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marineford arcs too. But if I did, it would be an incredibly long story, like 60-70 chapters or more, at least. So I think this is the best possible place for things to end for now. It's not the story I had originally intended, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome, all things considered.

If I do decide to continue this story, it will be in a sequel. I've left plenty of room and I have tons of ideas for one, so it's a good possibility that I might write it someday. But that won't be until later, possibly after I finish a ton of other stories that I have planned... I hope you understand and hope you enjoyed it for what it was, anyway. I know I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this story.

Thank you so much to all who read, enjoyed, reviewed, etc. It means so much to me that you liked the story.

Until next time,
-Kaline