Nico Robin had done a lot for the sake of survival, on the path to the only thing that really mattered to her.

But right now, with the Straw-hat man looking at her, she felt-

Unprepared.

Or perhaps 'excited' was a better way to describe it. Something about the way he sat, his eyes shined, the slight tilt in his head just got her heart pumping. Her body responding to the unspoken promises of new adventures.

She smiled under her hood, relishing the feelings she knew she was far too gone to act on.

"Dun wanna."

She didn't want to look upset, but she knew he could probably tell anyway.

The orange-haired woman next to Straw-hat punched him on the shoulder less-than gently with a huff. "At least listen to her first, Luffy!"

"Eh?" He shot her an annoyed look. "I did! I'm not gonna help her for helping me when I didn't need it."

Then turned to face Robin once more, a smile blooming on his face. "But I don't mind helping for fun!"

Robin blinked, and couldn't help but giggle at the statement; even as the other woman groaned and smacked the young man upside his head.

"Did you even need to say the first part!?"

The man only laughed in response, before quieting down to a chuckle."So… Mystery woman, what did you need help with?"

Robin placed a hand on the empty seat, but paused. The eye she had hidden in the alleyway by the bar got a glimpse of some marines approaching in lockstep, meaning she had to get out before they started asking too many questions.

Dispelling the eye she leaned in and whispered to Luffy to meet her at the docks, then quietly slipped out before the Marines could even see her cloak.


"You've attacked a marine captain," The supposed de-facto leader of the squadron said, his shoulders shaking even as his voice kept steady. "You will be labeled as pirates for your actions, and we urge you to leave this town."

Nami's world crunched to a single point, the sounds of the bar fading around her.

Me? A pirate? B-but…

Luffy's hand on her shoulder brought her back, the man looking at her with concern written boldly across his face. "You ok, Nami?"

"I-" her voice cracked slightly, and she opted to place a hand on his instead, nodding silently.

"However, we won't reach out to Headquarters about this, as a sign of our thanks," the leading marine continued, even as the townspeople roared with outrage.

The pressure around her shattered in a moment, and Nami realized it.

There were a few different kinds of 'pirate'.

And she had been one for eight years now.

Luffy gently squeezed her shoulder, pulling her back to reality again. "You look like you figured something out, huh?"

"Yeah," she breathed out softly, getting to her feet. "Let's get outta here Luffy"

She shot the Marines a dirty look. "Since it sounds like we're no longer welcome here."

"That's a pirate's life for you," Zoro quipped, pulling his swords to his belt. "Save a town, just to be kicked out of it."

"Doesn't matter!" Luffy grinned, getting up fast enough that his chair clattered to the floor. "We've got more adventures to have anyway!"

The trio began to make their way out of the bar with a few scoffs and whoops, Zoro leading the way with Luffy at the back, when the leading marine held up a hand to stop them.

"Wait, you three!"

Only Luffy didn't even look at the Marine, let alone listen, causing him to bump square into Nami's back.

Nami shot him a grumpy look over her shoulder before smirking. "Its gonna cost you to touch the goods, Luffy~"

"Stingyyyy..."

The marine leader didn't care for the two messing around, pointing at the pink-haired shorty still sitting in the bar. "Is he not with you?"

Luffy walked up to Coby, stared him up and down, crouched and grabbed at the boy's shirt, glaring at it before sighing. "Man, he's flying marine colors, what are you talking about?"

"Captain! I don't trust this, he is clearly part of-" A blonde marine piped up, stopping short as Luffy turned and glared at the man. Then the pirate smiled, something mischievous glinting in his eyes.

"Oh yeah… that reminds me!" He let go of Coby, but didn't raise to his full height. "I think you said it was like two years- right Coby? Anyway, so Coby spent that lo-"

Luffy didn't get to finish as a sudden punch sent him sprawling onto the floor, Coby panting at the action.

Nami shook her head as a small one-sided brawl broke out, the Marines demanding for Luffy to stop and leave the island, agreeing that Coby wasn't with them.

She smirked as the young man finally walked out of the bar, heading towards the docks with the other two.

"...you know, that wasn't very simple, " She teased, grinning at the man. "What's with the change of attitude?~"

Luffy shook his head and smirked, "Couldn't just let my friend's dream die, right?"

Zoro chuckled from the side, steps away from walking into a random alleyway. "Softie."

Luffy blinked and grabbed the swordsman's hand to pull him back on track, ignoring his protests.


"I was beginning to worry you weren't going to show up, Captain-san." Robin greeted, bowing slightly.

Nami blinked, turning to the lanky young man. "Oh yeah, guess you are the Captain, huh?"

Luffy looked genuinely offended, squinting at the woman. "Stupid! I'm going to be the King of the Pirates, of course I'm the captain!"

The declaration stopped the other three. All of them going through the stages of realization, hearing their newly minted Captain's dream for the first time.

Zoro was the first to break out of it, whistling with a grin. "No wonder you wanted the worlds best swordsman in your crew."

"Wait-" Nami finally choked out, "was that what you meant by saying you wanted to be 'the freest man in the world'!? Luffy, what about the treasure?!"

"If it's money, you can have it," he offered, not missing a beat.

Reflexes took over, and the next thing Nami knew she was gripping onto Luffy's face, pulling him close to stare him deep in the eyes. " Promise? "

"Lofty dreams you've got there," the mystery woman offered a smile in her voice, breaking the moment before Nami could seal the deal. "Then I've got good news, Captain-san."

Nami let go, and Luffy faced the hooded woman.

"The thing I needed assistance with is in Alabasta, on the Grand Line."

"Wait! You're from the Grand Line?" Luffy asked, rushing forward and dancing around the woman. "That's so cool! Do you have any stories from there?"

"I can tell them on our way," the woman offered, placing a hand on Luffy's head to keep him still. "Do you want to head out right away?"

Nami coughed, crossing her arms. "We don't have the map for that, some pirate named Buggy stole it from this base."

"Oh, there is no need, I got one already- Navigator-san, I'm assuming?" she offered, tilting her head.

Luffy was on her in an instant, hands on her shoulders. "Nah! Nami's my first mate and navigator, and Zoro is my second mate."

"Hey, don't go deciding things on your own!" She grumbled, punching him in the arm.

"He's the captain," Zoro rebutted, claiming a seat by the mast. "That's what he's supposed to do."

Nami's shoulders sagged, reality starting to set in. "Oh, right we're officially pirates now."

The mystery woman laughed elegantly, one hand hiding where her mouth would be under her hood. "Quite the lively bunch, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Luffy cried, cackling with laughter and causing the other two to smile in turn.

"So! Mystery lady, what do you need help with in Alabasta?"

Robin gestured at the sea, a large turtle carrying a high-tech saddle popping up between the waves. "How about we discuss that in the open waters, away from prying eyes?"


Robin waited silently after telling all she had about the corrupt king, how the population was suffering under his rule and Baroque Works, a bounty hunting guild, was doing its best to save the people.

"R-robin-san that is…" Nami started, shuddering slightly. "I- I don't think we could help with something like that. "

Zoro didn't respond, snoring away against the mast of the small ship.

Luffy stared deep into her eyes. "You're really pretty."

Robin shot him a fake smile, wondering if he had listened to her at all. "So… will you help me?"

"Sure!" Luffy nodded, looking at Nami with a thumbs up. "Only if you stop lying to us though!"

She blinked, shocked to be seen through so easily. But a bigger part was even more intrigued at the lack of hostility or anger from the man. "What makes you think I've lied to you, Luffy?"

He pouted at her. "Stop it, there is no need for that."

She blinked and hummed gently. "You're not going to listen, are you?"

Nami grumbled, "No, no he won't."

"Look," Luffy grinned, "we're going the same way, wanna group up with us till we get there? Maybe you'll feel like telling the truth by then."

Robin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So you'll follow me to Alabasta even if you don't believe me? Why?"

He grinned so wide it should've split his face. "Cause you're a good person!"

Robin wanted to argue against that, but didn't.

"And you aren't lying about needing help, just about what's really happening."

Robin sighed, pulling a book out from her pocket and getting comfortable in her seat on her Turtle-ship. "You are an eccentric one, Captain-san… Sure."

Nami grumbled. "So- where are we heading, Captain?"

Luffy laughed, pointing forward. "You know where Nami!"

"To kick Buggy's ass!"


Robin shook her head, watching as the three changed boats, switching to a bigger vessel courtesy of a few unconscious Buggy pirates. "...you know I am still planning on sharing the map with you, Captain san, right?"

"Ehhhh," he mumbled back, shaking his hand dismissively. "This is more fun. Besides, it's about the principle of it all."

"That being?" She asked, curious about just how the man's brain worked.

"I promised Nami that I would kick their ass, I can't go back on my word now."

"You're willing to attack a pirate crew over just a promise to a friend?"

Luffy grinned. "If that's what she asked for!" He then gestured to Zoro with his thumb. "Also, I'm sure Zoro is itching for a good fight after twenty days on that cross."

"Reading my mind already, captain." Zoro agreed, idly thumbing the hilt of his white blade.

"And I wanna steal their loot, too!" Nami added, messing with her compass while glaring at the map they had stolen from the three unfortunate clowns.

"Great idea!" Luffy added with a chuckle "We'll need the funds for a bigger boat!"

"And here I thought you were going to head to the Grand Line in that dinghy," Robin mused with a small smile. "I underestimated you, Captain~"

Luffy shot her a look and poked his tongue out playfully.


"He's definitely compensating for something," Zoro growled, staring at the massive ship that had anchored next to the town under pirate control.

"I could say the same about you, three swords," Nami snarked back, grinning as the swordsman shot her a nasty look.

Luffy smirked, but it fell from his face as an explosion rocked their ship, a row of houses disappearing from the town.

Nami froze in shock, and Zoro heaved a sigh. Robin had seen too many sights similar to get affected.

Luffy gripped a hand over his straw hat, his smile turning dangerous. "I'm gonna send him flying."


"Captain Buggy!" One of the many men he didn't even know the name of screeched, rushing to the clown captain's side. "Trespassers spotted by the Big Top!"

"Eh!?" Buggy screeched, grabbing the spyglass from his faceless henchman and looking towards his massive ship, only to see a crew of four walking towards them. "Just four kids?" He squawked, an evil smile blooming on his face.

"Men! Fire the Buggy Ba-"

For once in his life, Buggy thought about the consequences of his actions and realized that his own ship would be caught in the explosion too. He coughed like he hadn't just messed up his order and faced his crew. "MEN!"

"LET'S TEACH THESE BRATS SOME MANNERS!"


"You sure it's a good idea to go directly at them Luffy?" Nami asked, a little bit of fear in her voice. "I'm sure we could just sneak in then sneak back out before they noticed it, at least I could…"

"Sounds complicated, and I wanna kick their asses head on. You wanna just go loot their ship while we handle the fighting?" the captain offered with a shrug.

"They moved all their treasure already though!" She whined in response.

Luffy blinked, then stopped to turn and look at her. "When did you check?"

"A woman never kisses and tells, Luffy," she teased with a smile, bursting out into laughter as the man pouted in response.

"I'll be honest. You are very direct, Captain-san," Robin added, wearing her hood again. "I hope you won't try this in Alabasta too."

"That'll be different," he mumbled with a shake of his hand. "Besides..."

"They're here."

A giant lion burst through one of the houses, sending debris flying. Luffy didn't mind, even as Nami hid behind him out of reflex. "Zoro," the young captain called out, his second mate already pulling his swords out. "They're all yours."


"C-captain! That's Ronoroa Zoro!"

Buggy's eyes almost bulged at hearing that, pulling the spyglass up and seeing the path of carnage the swordsman was leaving in his wake, even his First mate and quartermaster had been knocked unconscious with shallow cuts covering them.

His face darkened, and he grunted in annoyance, dropping the spyglass andcrushing it with an evil smile. "Tell them to pull back!"

"Captain Buggy is gonna handle the Pirate Hunter for good!"

The crew cheered him on as he jumped from the roof, his pieces detaching and pushing away from each other before reattaching together as he landed, running towards the unsuspecting swordsman.

Sorry, kid . He grinned, pulling out three blades in a fist as he caught sight of the swordsman and the three others following him.

Your tale ends here!

"Oh hey, that must be Buggy. Tag out, Zoro"

Buggy ground to a halt as the swordsman stopped with a grunt, sheathing his swords and looking over to a younger man wearing a red cardigan and a straw hat that looked strangely familiar.

The Clown Captain rubbed his red nose and squinted at the new guy. "...and who are you supposed to be?"

"Monkey D. Luffy," the boy answered with a sharp smile, pulling his arm up to gesture a thumb at himself."The guy who's going to be the next King of Pirates!"

Then, the world froze as Buggy saw it.

The kid's arm slowly turned black in patches, shining blue in the sun as it fully engulfed it up to his elbow.

"A-armament H-haki?" he stammered out, taking steps away from the thing that should not exist in the first half of the Grand Line, let alone the weakest sea. "B-but that's-"

Words failed him as the Straw-hat was suddenly right in front of him, a solid punch crashing into his stomach hard enough to force him to split. His back hit the ground as the part that had detached slammed into a patch of grass a few paces back, spittle and snot shooting out from his face as the impacts registered.

Luffy blinked and stared at the piece that had flown off then back at the captain before slowly pulling his fist back. "...uh- you ok?"

Buggy only managed to blabber something incoherent before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell apart completely, knocked out cold.

"Devil fruit?" Robin offered, looking at the pile of body parts on the ground. Nami was too busy trying not to throw up to listen and calm down.

Zoro looked proud of how clean the cuts were.

And Luffy looked disappointed.

"...the hell is Armament Haki?"