Timeframe: Sometime in the future
Spoilers: Vivi's whereabouts post Alabasta
Rating: K+
After the disaster with Crocodile, Robin never thought she would return to Alabasta. She never thought that in a million years the royal family would be crazy enough to welcome her back with open arms. The idea of sitting and eating at the same table with the idealistic princess who had once been her enemy was both laughable and absurd.
But then again, the Straw Hat Pirates had a strange way of subverting her expectations.
So there she sat eating the delicacies of the desert, listening as her crew caught up with the friend they had left behind. At the table the Straw Hats intermingled with Princess Vivi, who sat with the former rebel Kohza, the Guardians Chaka and Pell, and the Captain of the Royal Guard Igaram. The king was absent, too tired in his illness to join the festivities.
The king's sickness was the whole reason for their detour. After a confounding series of events involving Celestial Dragons, the Reverie, and a bar fight Luffy learned of King Nefertari Cobra's ill health. After demanding that Chopper 'heal that cool old guy', the Straw Hats had turned themselves around and the rest, to say, was history.
That was all good and well, Robin knew and understood her captain's attachment to his friends, but it put her in a very difficult position. She had contemplated feigning an illness of her own just to avoid stepping foot on the island. Robin wasn't afraid of these people, but she did feel a horrible twinge in the pit of her stomach every time Alabasta entered her thoughts.
A horrible twinge that felt suspiciously like guilt.
Despite a myriad of excuses for her past behavior, Robin knew that her involvement in the attempted coup was wrong. Actually, it was more than wrong. She had been beyond selfish, throwing away an entire country's future to further her own goals. It didn't matter if Robin never planned to gave Crocodile the super weapon Pluton, years of running had made her grow callous and cold to the point where she had stopped caring about anyone, including herself.
Hence her guilt. And the awkward silence, and the cold stares from the various Alabastians who recognized her.
"Will you stop squirming?" Nami hissed from her side.
"I'm not squirming," Robin murmured.
"You're doing the thing where you look polite and pretend to smile," she replied between bites.
"That's not squirming, Miss Navigator, surely you know that."
"Well, whatever it is, it's irritating. Relax, no one's going to bite you. And since when do you call me Miss Navigator?"
Robin didn't dignify her with an answer and continued eating. Nami didn't understand, so Robin didn't bother to try and explain. From the head of the table Pell the Guardian, now sporting a rather large scar, shot her the occasional mistrustful glare. The Captain of the Royal Guard also looked her way every once in a while, but his eyes were thoughtful rather than angry or hateful.
After pushing her food around her plate awhile, Robin excused herself from the table. Nami gave her a worried glance, which Robin returned with a smile that was meant to be reassuring but most likely fell short.
Robin was not stopped as she wandered around the palace, admiring both its history and the view it offered. She was thankfully alone, lost in her own thoughts. Stopping to look at some carvings (made by the emperor Kahira) Robin tried to wrestle her feelings back under control. The process took longer than it should have, much to her distaste.
The soft sounds of footsteps wrenched Robin back into reality. Without looking up from the carvings she summoned extra eyes to see who it was. Flashes of blue hair crossed her vision, and Robin sighed. It was inevitable, really, but she had hoped to put off this conversation for a little bit longer.
The princess stopped by her side, and Robin steeled herself.
"They're beautiful, aren't they," she said wistfully.
"A magnificent feat, considering the tools they were made of," Robin replied.
"Chopper says he can heal father. He isolated specific bacteria that accounts for all his symptoms and is making a treatment for it now," the princess continued.
"That's good," Robin answered, unsure of what game the princess was playing. Chopper had announced his news to the Straw Hats earlier in the day. The doctor stressed that since the bacteria were so resistant the treatment would be hard on the king, but assured everyone that once finished the he would once again be in good health. Word had quickly spread through the palace, and a feast had been announced.
"Are you uncomfortable here?" the princess finally asked. Robin gave a sidelong look to the girl and cocked an eyebrow. She gave a sad smile before saying, "Sorry, dumb question. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Robin couldn't help but chuckle. "You are truly a remarkable woman, Princess."
She blushed, and tried to cover it up by tucking her hair behind her ear. Robin turned her attention back to the carvings and pretended not to notice. Twenty years of instinct yelled at her to run, and never come back. This conversation, this girl, simply wasn't natural. Only a few years ago they had been mortal enemies, intent on destroying one another. Now this girl was trying to help make her comfortable and welcome in the very place she called home.
"You didn't answer the question. Is there really nothing I can do? I…I don't want to be enemies, and I would like to be friends," the princess said as she wrung her hands together.
"No, you and your people have been very accommodating. You must understand, I never expected to come back here, and it takes some getting used to. I wouldn't worry for my account."
The princess laughed. "Don't you remember? Worrying is one of the things I do best."
Robin cracked a smile. Tension broken, the pair continued to inspect the carvings on the wall.
"You know, I could give you a complete historical tour of the palace. We've a few things hidden away from the general public," the princess continued, emboldened by the relaxed atmosphere.
"I'm familiar with some of your more…controversial pieces," Robin said with a chuckle.
The princess looked up, face solemn. "Father told me about your conversation in the tombs."
"Did he now?"
"Yes, and after the battle we did a little, uh, investigating. About you, I mean. And we found out what happened 22 years ago, and what I mean to say is…I think I understand," the princess said.
"I don't think you do, Princess," Robin said with the barest hint of bitterness.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to imply…" the princess stammered, "What I was trying to say is, I think I understand your reasons. For joining Crocodile and for trying to kill me and Igaram, and everything."
"I never tried to kill you or the captain," Robin said.
"You almost blow him up!" she exclaimed.
"No, I blew his ship up; there's a difference. I placed the explosives in such a way that would destroy the ship but gave him a good chance of survival. If I had wanted him dead, he would have died," Robin said coolly.
The princess gave her a strange look before saying, "Well, thank you for that."
Robin waved her hand in dismissal. "I didn't do it for you, I needed word to reach Alabasta about the truth behind the rebellion, and with you going to Little Garden there was no guarantee that you'd reach safely. With the captain assumed dead, he could make his way back unharmed by agents. I was simply trying to further my own ends."
"Are you being obstinate on purpose?" the princess said with a glare.
"I'm simply trying to tell the truth Princess. I think after all this time, you deserve at least that," Robin said honestly.
"Well, you have a funny way of doing it," she retorted.
"Don't you remember? Being infuriatingly mysterious is what I do best," Robin replied. Vivi was silent, before letting out a heavy sigh.
"So what now? Chopper says he wants to stay at least a week, and unless you hide on your ship you're going to be hanging around the palace. Can't we try to resolve our differences?"
"Is that really what you want Princess?"
"I wasn't lying when I said I would like to be friends. Luffy trusts you, what happened before doesn't matter. Alabasta's stronger now than it has been in…in a long time."
"You really are a part of the Straw Hats, aren't you?" Robin asked, before raising her hand to stop the princess from interrupting, "They didn't care about my past either, but then I never explicitly wronged them. That's what I don't understand, Princess, you should hate me, but you don't."
"I did, for a while," she admitted, "but like I said, I had a good talk with my father. There's a great deal I don't know, both about your time with Crocodile and before, and I've accepted that. Besides, hating you took up too much time and energy, and with so much that needed to be done it simply wasn't worth it. Besides, you are just as much a part of the Straw Hats as me, so why would I hate you?" she said with a big smile.
"Hm. That certainly is an interesting way of thinking of it."
"I'm glad you think so."
"And if that is how you feel," Robin continued as if she hadn't said anything, "then I owe you."
"No! Of course not," the princess exclaimed.
"An explanation, at the very least. I have done some horrible things to you and your country, and there is no excuse for that. I'm…sorry. I am very, very sorry for the pain I've caused you and your people."
"Oh," the princess said softly.
Again there was silence between the two women. Then, slowly at first, Robin began to explain. Even after two years the princess didn't fully know the reach of Baroque Works or the depths of Crocodile's plan. Robin was careful to omit references to the Void Century, her apology would mean nothing if she put the princess in unnecessary danger with her knowledge, but laid bare everything else.
The princess was a good audience, only interrupting for clarification on certain points. After Robin finished she stared down the corridor deep in thought.
"I want to show you something," the princess finally said before leaving behind a confused Robin. The princess led her to the roof. It was late, and the air had a distinct chill to it.
"Do you remember this place?" she asked.
"Of course, this is where Luffy fought Crocodile for the second time."
"Yeah. I don't think you saw it when Crocodile was done, but he basically turned the whole thing to sand. But it got rebuilt, and that's not the point. You can see a lot of the city from up here. In the old days, the kings built the palace on the highest point so they could watch over all they ruled."
"Yes, but I fail to see a point to this," Robin replied.
"Well, the kings and queens of this land have ruled in one form or another for centuries. To the outsider it shouldn't be possible; it's too hot and too dry to sustain life. But strangely enough, the people have gone beyond existing and have flourished.
"Travelers are often amazed at the desert after a rain. The thorniest and scraggliest of bushes bloom, animals that are rarely seen come out for water. Ancient wisdom insists that if you give something a chance, more often than not good will come out of it. Just like the desert when it rains," the princess turned and faced Robin for the first time, "Do you understand?"
Robin looked out at the capital city. Even during the late hour, it was active. Citizens took advantage of the cooler temperatures, and the night market was alive with buyers and sellers. Alabasta really had come a remarkable ways since its civil war. Under proper care the country thrived, even though it had been devastated and nearly destroyed.
"I think so," Robin murmured. The princess grinned and Robin looked her in the eye, "And Vivi? Thank you for giving me an opportunity."
Vivi let out a squeal of joy at the sound of being called by her name and pulled Robin into an impromptu hug which was hesitantly returned. The younger girl then let out a large yawn.
"Wow, it's late. I should be getting to bed, there's lots of business to do tomorrow," she said.
Robin nodded. "I do mean to take you up on that tour," she replied.
"Sure thing! I might not have time tomorrow, there's a big meeting with the head of the merchant's guilt, but we'll get it in sometime before you leave."
"I look forward to it."
The princess let out one final smile before excusing herself for her quarters, "Good night, Robin."
"Good night, Vivi."
Back in her own rooms, Robin was surprised to see Nami still up, pacing back and forth, with a look of supreme irritation on her features. At the sight of Robin she threw her hands up and exclaimed, "Where have you been? You disappeared at supper and no one knew where you had gone; I thought you had gotten yourself arrested or something. I was worried sick!"
"I'm sorry for upsetting you. Vivi and I were just reaching an understanding, that's all. I didn't mean to keep you up," Robin said as she got ready for bed.
"Oh. So you got things figured out? No more squirming for you?"
"I believe so, yes. And I wasn't squirming."
"Whatever. Well, that's good you two got things straightened out," Nami said as she climbed into bed.
"I agree. Good night Nami."
"'Night Robin."
Using her power, Robin doused the lights. The feeling of…liberation inside her was almost comparable to when the Straw Hats had stormed Enies Lobby for her sake. Robin treasured it, for she knew that in this world true forgiveness was rare.
Maybe this little side trip to Alabasta wouldn't be so bad after all.
AN: I was in a microbiology class when the cover story of Cobra came out, and because of that the first thing that came to mind with his illness was debilitating/recurring/resistant bacterial infection. Did you know that there are 10 times more bacteria on/in you than human cells? So if you want to get technical, everyone's only 1/10 human. And they're cleverer than originally thought; the buggers can hide from your immune system until they have enough numbers to all attack at once.
If I wanted to be really horrible, I would have made it so the (most likely unsanitary) spike thingys Robin stabbed Cobra with during Alabasta be the root cause of his illness, but I thought it was too cruel. Totally possible, but too cruel.
And we finally have an explanation as to why Robin chose to blow up that little ship instead of just snapping Igaram's neck at Whiskey Peak. Yay!
Let me know what you think.