The Pirate King Is Dead - Long Live The Pirate King

Part 3 of a Four Part Saga

By Aoikami Sarah

Chapter Fifteen - Whatever Happened To Nico Robin

She came to consciousness slowly. Her head throbbed dully. The lights in the room were bright and glared on the white walls. She blinked to clear her vision and tried to comprehend why she felt so logy. Her eyes refused to focus. After a few minutes of dwelling on how frustrating this feeling was, her senses returned to her. The sound of a fan whirred in the corner to the left. There were no windows in the room, but it was filled with light from above. With some disappointment, she realized she wasn't dead.

"Good morning," a rough voice to her right greeted her.

She turned her head. A large man stood with his arms folded near the door. She squinted to make out his features. "Why am I alive…?" she asked.

"Search me," he replied with a strange accent, which she attributed to whatever he was gnawing on. "You've been in a drug-induced coma for nearly four weeks.

"Coma…?" she asked and sat up. A pulse of adrenaline rushed through her system, sobering her quickly. She realized that she wasn't restrained and attacked him.

He laughed darkly. "That power of yours can't affect me, Nico Robin." The ten extra arms that clutched him tightly passed through his body as it turned to thick, white smoke.

"Logia user!" She cried and tried to get to her feet. Her body was still unresponsive and she nearly collapsed back into bed.

"The name's Smoker," he drawled. "Relax. I'm not here to hurt you, just to make sure you don't leave before we get a chance to chat." He pulled a chair out and turned it around before sitting down.

Robin squinted at him as her vision became clearer. "Are you CP9?"

Smoker scoffed. "They don't exist anymore. You and your Straw Hat friends did a number on the government a little while ago. Remember?"

"It's coming back to me," she said carefully.

"I'm not government anyway, I'm military. The Kaigun has taken over in the meantime to deal with the chaos." He took the two cigars out of his mouth and grimaced.

"I don't care if you smoke…" Robin said.

"Can't," he growled. "Hospital. Rules. Yadada yadada."

"Hospital…? Why am I being treated so well? The last time I checked I was about to be executed."

Smoker set the cigars down on the edge of a small table next to her bedside. "I know. I was assigned to clean out the dungeons at Enies Lobby because I'm strong enough to handle any escapees. That was last week. Many of the prisoners had already starved to death. You had a feeding tube. Someone wanted you alive."

"Whatever for?" she wondered.

"Your knowledge, apparently."

As if on cue, the door opened and a short, bespectacled man wearing a doubled-breasted suit and a push-broom mustache entered. "Thank goodness, you're alive!" he exclaimed. Robin blinked at him as he approached her and took her hands in his. There were tears of joy in his eyes. "Those ignoramuses thought they had gotten everything useful out of you and were going to just throw you away! Such an action would be as destroying the key to the kingdom!"

It took quite a statement to make Robin express shock. Her eyes widened at this strange old man who clutched her hands and cried relieved tears. "I'm sorry… who are you?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm the World Historical Society's Museum Director…"

Robin gasped. "Hartman Weimaraner?" she cried. "You're still alive? I haven't heard your name since I left Ohara!"

He laughed in delight. "We're both alive! Isn't that wonderful!" Smoker gave Weimaraner his seat and leaned against the door. "I'm a bit late for a meeting with Admiral Aokiji, but let me quickly tell you the plan…"

"Aokiji!" Robin started, but Weimaraner waved his hand

"He's a kitten. Listen. I've made a plea on behalf of the history of the world that you be spared. Aokiji has agreed on the condition that your whereabouts and findings be reported to a superior in the military," he said quickly. He turned his head to look at Smoker. "I believe that honor will fall upon you, Captain." Smoker shrugged.

"That means…?" Robin asked in a hushed tone.

"That means you are relatively free to pursue your life's goal: the True History!" Weimaraner said with a satisfied smile.

Smoker unfolded his arms and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Before you jump," he added, "Aokiji said something about erasing your past. You will have to abandon your name and your ties to the Straw Hat pirates."

Robin bowed her head. "My name has brought me nothing but misery," she said. "And the Straw Hats most likely believe that I am dead." She raised her chin and gave them a classic Nico-Robin-smile. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Weimaraner blinked. "You don't want to take the offer?"

She shook her head. "That's not it, forgive me, Mr. Weimaraner. I'm still a bit hazy."

He smiled and patted her hand. "I'll be back after my meeting. Get some rest, Dear."

Robin thanked him and reclined again. Smoker let Weimaraner out and picked his cigars back up off of the table. "I'll be outside the door," he said waving the cigars. "There's uh… one thing you should know before some moron upsets you…" he said quietly. "Monkey D. Luffy was executed in Rogue Town three weeks ago." Before she could react, he bent over and whispered, "but between you, me and the walls, he's very much alive." Smoker turned and made for the door.

Robin was at a loss for words. Before he closed the door, he could hear her voice, cut with exhausted tears, say, "Thank you!"

To be continued…