Rating: T, the second and fourth ones get rather dark
Spoilers: Robin's past, some Ace stuff, Impel Down
Timeframe: AU, done for Aoi24's multiverse challenge. Rules: Write at least five drabbles (yeah, these got kinda long and I did six. Whoops.), which have to have an obvious AU slant. Check out Aoi24's page for a complete listing of those who have done the challenge
Kuzan looked helplessly at the little girl hunched over on the other side of the row boat. What in the hell was he thinking, deserting the marines for some pathetic scrap of humanity who by law deserved to die? Why in the world had he, at the sight of that bastard Sakazuki's ship, rushed out to sea to defend the little row boat?
Maybe it was because she looked so goddamn pathetic.
The girl (hell, he didn't even know her name) had finally stopped her bawling. Not that Kuzan blamed her, not in the slightest. The thing was he didn't know what to do. Right now he could barely handle looking at her sniffle out of the corner of his sunglasses and ponder his next course of action.
"So, ah, kid. What's your name?" he asked lamely, running his hands through his hair in worry. The girl flinched at the sound of his voice (and why wouldn't she, it wasn't as if he hadn't just frozen a giant to death) and huddled into a smaller ball.
"Look," Kuzan began desperately, "we're in the same boat here. Literally. We're going to need to work together if we want to avoid the marines."
Kuzan didn't know if she understood what he was saying. The girl was probably in shock. Kuzan felt his stomach sink as he realized he had signed his own death warrant the moment he had stepped out onto the sea. There was no way a little girl like this could survive the full wrath of the military, and he (idiotically) had thrown his lot in with hers. They were both dead. It was only a matter of time.
"Robin," the girl finally whispered between shuttering breaths. "I'm Nico Robin."
Shit. Shit shit shitshitshit. "You mean you're related to Nico Olvia…?" Kuzan asked, his voice trailing off.
The girl (Robin his mind informed him automatically) didn't answer. Her lack of response was enough evidence for Kuzan, who sat down with a heavy thud. Ignoring the water that splashed into their boat, he stared out to the ocean blankly.
Oh, what tangled lives we lead. "Well, I'm Kuzan," he offered.
"I know," she said softly. "I heard what Saul called you. The other Vice Admiral was Sakazuki, and the man from CP9 was Spandine."
Kuzan nodded, surprised she recalled their names. "Yeah, those are the ones. Anways, it looks like we're in this mess together."
"But why?" Robin wailed suddenly, a horrible hopelessness in her voice. It was the sort of tone that, until today, Kuzan would have refused to believe that any child would have been able to make.
She sounded lost.
Scratching his head, Kuzan eyed the girl thoughtfully. "I don't know, really. I already decided to give you a head start, and when Sakazuki came around the island I knew you were toast unless I did something. Saul was a friend of mine, and he gave his life trying to protect you. I suppose I was just doing the same."
Robin tried to hide a fresh round of tears from the former Vice Admiral. Reluctantly, he went over and placed one of his arms around her small shoulders. He wanted to say that everything would be all right but couldn't. The lie would just be an unnecessary cruelty at this point.
"I…I d-don't underst-tand," she sobbed.
"Me neither, kid. Me neither," Kuzan mumbled, patting the girl's shoulder's awkwardly. This time she didn't flinch or pull herself away, and Kuzan figured she just needed the contact, no matter where it came from. Eventually the kid exhausted all her tears, and collapsed into a restless slumber.
That was how the sun set on the unlikely pair's first day on the run, with Kuzan keeping careful watch, his arms wrapped protectively around the child the world so desperately wanted dead.
As a general rule, Spandine did not like going to Impel Down. The place was creepy as hell and smelled like death. However, when it came to the Demon Child Nico Robin the Director of CP9 was willing to make an exception.
His escort, Vice Warden Lin, was giving him a brief tour of the prison's new renovations. After the execution of that asshole Roger, young men who a year ago would have joined the marines were now going out to sea as pirates. With this sudden influx of criminals, Impel Down was quickly approaching max capacity, forcing the expansion.
"And you see here, Mr. Spandine, when we are finished here our new contract with the bulgori will go into effect. Impel Down will be more secure than it ever has been in its history."
Spandine nodded absent mindedly. He didn't know what a bulgori was and didn't particularly care. He just wished that Lin would hurry up and take him down to see the demon. Spandine wanted to know how his plan was coming together and how soon he would get his promotion.
"So…Vice Warden…" he began sweetly, "how are things going with your newest prisoner?" Spandine shuddered as Lin's face darkened. The Vice Warden was an imposing man, not overly tall, but powerfully built. Lin's heavily decorated uniform was impeccable, even by marine standards, and his regulation length auburn hair was parted neatly to the right. All in all he was a perfect picture of a government employee. But there was something underneath his perfect appearance that was offputting. The man fit perfectly with the rest of Impel Down, Spandine thought with a shiver, impenetrable and powerful on the outside, dark and perverse within.
"The prisoner is…unusually stubborn," he finally admitted. With a quick gesture the Vice Warden led Spandine to one of the elevators.
"How so?"
"Well, the prisoner did nearly escape Cipher Pol custody several times before arrival. We had to find a sea-stone cuff that would fit…But that's not the real problem." Lin pressed a series of buttons, and the lift descended with a jerk. "The prisoner is showing remarkable resistance during interviews."
"Oh?" Spandine asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I, too, have a Devil Fruit. It allows me to enter the mind of anyone I touch, and if I am able to overcome prisoner's will, go through their memories. The first few days of the prisoner's arrival I could not overcome her will without permanently damaging her mind. After a few days of starvation, however, her resolve crumbled and I and entered her consciousness. Ah, here we are, Level 6." With a ding, the door opened. Immediately a chorus of curses and taunts were thrown at the Vice Warden. Lin ignored the prisoners, and continued delivering his report.
"It seems that the Ohara Devils taught the prisoner some techniques to survive interrogation. I have so far been unable to learn anything about the ancient weapons or their plans to destroy the world, although I have learned some of the translation to the poneglyphs."
"But that's illegal!" Spandine exclaimed. Lin spared him a glare that would peel paint, and Spandine gulped.
"I do not retain what I learn. I simply write down a few glyphs each day and hand them off to my superiors. I assure you that I have the full backing of the World Government."
The pair were silent as they walked down the rest of the hall. Lin led Spandine away from the rest of the prisoners. They reached a small dank cell that at first glance was empty. As Lin stopped to go through his key ring, Spandine peered through the bars. In the corner, curled up in a ball, was the little demon herself. For some reason, seeing the girl in child-sized prison clothes gave Spandine a feeling of immense satisfaction.
"Hey brat," Spandine spat venomously. A small head looked up at him.
"Hi! You're new!" she said giddily, with a grin that didn't reach her large, glassy eyes. Bruises were scattered up and down her arms, but to Spandine's displeasure she was otherwise unharmed.
"Uh, yeah, I guess."
"Are you going to try and get in my mind to?" she asked accusingly. Not waiting for an answer, she got to her feet and twirled around in a small circle. A flicker of confusion came across her face and suddenly she reached down and pinched herself hard enough that Spandine guessed another bruise would be added to her collection. "I'm awake? Not dreaming? Not a nightmare…?"
Flabbergasted, Spandine turned to Lin, who had just found the right key. Brushing aside the director of CP9, he opened the cell door. At the sight of the Vice Warden, the demon child whimpered and began to shake.
"Tut tut, little Nico. The more you fight the more you hurt yourself," Lin said, condemnation dripping off of every word.
"NO!" she screamed. "Go away!"
Ignoring the girl's cries, Lin reached over and grabbed her forehead with a hand that had begun to glow a bright blue color. The Vice Warden's eyes closed, and a look of ecstasy came upon his face. The girl's thrashes became more violent, and her screams grew louder.
Spandine began to feel immensely uncomfortable, but at the same time found it impossible to look away as Lin used his Devil Fruit against the girl. As the seconds passed the demon's struggles became weaker, until she finally fell to her knees. Once she stopped fighting Lin made a sound of satisfaction, and the girl's glassy eyes unfocused completely, her cries tapered off into nothingness.
The Vice Warden was unable to keep the position for long. After a few tense minutes he broke his grip gasping for air, allowing he girl to flop unceremoniously into a heap on the ground. Continuing to pant, he reached in his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Dabbing his temples, he shook his head in frustration.
"Damnations! Nothing again!" he growled.
"I'm sure you'll get it next time." Spandine said, feeling thoroughly queasy.
"Yes. I will rip every scrap of information from that demon's mind, and we will then torture and execute her like the rest of her kind. The World Government will take pocession of the weapons, and the age of pirates will come to an end!" Vice Warden Lin spat on the ground before dramatically stomping out of the room, not sparing a second glance to either his guest or his prisoner.
Hurrying to follow his guide, Spandine couldn't help but notice that the girl looked more like an unwanted doll than a human being. If it weren't for her shallow breathing he could have mistaken her for a corpse.
Spandine rode the elevator back to the surface (the glorious, glorious surface), doing his best to stand as far away from the Vice Warden as possible. The demon's dead, unfocusing stare wouldn't leave his mind, and he shuddered. She deserved every bit of punishment she got, but damn if wasn't unsettling.
The Vice Warden's choice of words didn't help any. Rip every scrap of information from the demon's mind. Really? Was there no other way to phrase it? Something like, say, Extract pertinent information from the prisoner. Yes. That had a much nicer ring to it.
And as Spandine walked past the workers working on the new areas of the first floor, he promised himself, no matter how high the prisoner, he wouldn't visit Impel Down ever again. There were other, more important matters to concern himself with. Namely his promotion.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Bellemere watched with a mixture of anger and amusement as the culprit raiding her tangerine grove froze, hand still reaching towards the fruit. The thief looked to be in her early teens, her long dark hair pulled back in a tail. Not recognizing her from the village, Bellemere assumed her to be a runaway.
Raising her old rifle, Bellemere gave the girl a cocky grin. "Don't you know that it's rude to steal?" The girl's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms in a funny little gesture that almost made her laugh. "Girl, I don't know who you think you're messing with, but I'll give you ten seconds to get off my property before I arrest you for trespassing. One. Two. Three…"
The girl was out of sight before Bellemere made it to ten. With a nod of satisfaction, she went back into the house. Quietly she put her rifle away, deftly avoiding all of the squeaky floor boards. Feeling immensely pleased with herself, Bellemere went to the kitchen, pondering what do make her darling daughters for breakfast. To her surprise, Nojiko was already up and pouring herself a glass of tangerine juice. Looking worriedly up at her adoptive mother, she pointed out the window.
"Bellemere, why did you point a gun at that lady?"
"You saw that?" Bellemere exclaimed. Stiffing a yawn Nojiko nodded, and Bellemere cursed under her breath. Pulling out a cigarette to buy herself some time, she contemplated how to answer. After taking a deep drag she said, "Well Nojiko, she was trying to steal some of our tangerines, I was just making her stop."
"But what if she was just hungry? Didn't you say that we're supposed to share?"
Flummoxed by her daughter's logic, Bellemere frowned. "You're right, sharing is good. If I ever see her again, I'll invite her in for dinner. How's that sound?" Appeased, Nojiko smiled and ran upstairs to wake up her sister. Feeling pleased with solving the situation (because there was no way that girl would be coming back again after today), Bellemere began humming an old sea shanty and forgot about the whole thing.
XxX
Two nights later, Bellemere caught the tangerine thief again.
In a way, Bellemere had to sympathize; the girl really had rotten luck. She had only gone out to the back yard on a whim and had clearly caught the girl off guard. Now they stood at a standoff. Gritting her teeth, Bellemere glared at the girl.
"Would you like to come in for dinner?" Bellemere asked rigidly, regretting having ever made that promise to Nojiko.
The girl's brown eyes widened in surprise, and her whole body tensed as if she suspected a trap. "Why should I come in with you?" she asked.
"Because I promised my daughter that if I saw you eating my tangerines again I'd invite you to dinner."
This clearly wasn't the answer the girl was expecting, and a look of confusion and indecision crept onto her features. Bellemere noted that the girl was shaking, and not from fear. Dark circles under her eyes contrasted starkly with unhealthily pale skin. There was a haggard look to the girl's face, making her appear older than she really was. When was the last square meal this girl had gotten?
"Look, kid, just come in and eat with us. You look like you're going to faint." The look of panic and tenseness returned, and it looked like the girl would bolt. "Okay, okay! You don't have to come in! Jeez, we'll have a picnic. That okay with you?"
"Picnic?"
"Good deal! Just wait a moment, and I'll get all the stuff," Bellemere said. After a moment's thought, she turned to the house and yelled, "NOJIKO, NAMI! We've got a guest!" Almost immediately the girls burst out of the house to see who had come to visit, only to pull up short when they saw who it was.
"Girls, keep the tangerine thief company while I get supper ready. We're picnicking tonight!"
"Yay!"
The thief was clearly confused by all that was going on, but allowed herself to be pulled down on the ground by Nojiko and Nami. Bellemere grinned as she set to getting sandwich things ready. Her girls could soften up a porcupine.
Dinner went relatively smoothly. Their guest (who Nojiko had finally wheedled the name Robin out of) didn't talk much. Bellemere noted that the poor girl ate as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself. She guessed that Robin was about 13 or 14, but had the lanky arms and legs that indicated that she was going through a growth spurt. The girl was rail thin, and her cheeks were hollow. Bellemere could only shake her head. Life on the streets for a growing child was not an easy one.
After dinner, Nami waddled over to a dirt patch, pulling Robin along. Proudly Nami began writing her name, showing off one of her new skills.
"See! N-A-M-I! That me!" she squealed.
"No," Robin corrected softly. "You spelled N-A-N-I. You need an extra line here. Now it's an M."
"You can write?" Nojiko asked, surprised. "We don't have a school, but Bellemere teaches us. Look, N-O-J-I-K-O!"
Bellemere watched from the corner of her eye as Robin tensed again, as if she had said something wrong. Even though the girl had relaxed a little bit during dinner, the wary watchfulness never quite left her eyes.
"Girls, go take these things inside, and wash up," Bellemere called. The girls groaned but obediently tromped over to do as they were told. Robin also got up, and looked like she wanted to leave. Sauntering over to the nervous girl, Bellemere slung one of her arms over her shoulder. Robin jumped and squirmed out of the hold.
"Kid, relax, I'm not going to eat you. I was just wondering if you had a place you wanted to stay for the night."
"I—I can't," Robin mumbled.
"Why, because you're hiding from someone?" Robin flinched at the accusation, and Bellemere sighed. "Robin, I don't know where you're from, but this is Cocoyashi. We're so backwater that pirates and marines both don't bother us. We're all a bunch of nobodies that no one cares about. You'll be safe here."
"Miss Bellemere…" Robin looked up at her with a mixture of loneliness and desperation.
Bellemere cut off the girl with a wave of the hand. "Kid, let's be frank with one another. You're in no shape to go anywhere right now. That's why you came back here after I caught you the first time, am I right? All the other farms have higher security around their groves. You've had dozens of opportunities to run away during supper and you didn't. I'm willing to bet one of my trees you're too weak to do much of anything, so let's save the angst and why don't you come inside and get a proper night's sleep."
Robin's shoulders drooped in defeat, and she allowed Bellemere to lead her into her modest home. Nojiko and Nami had were shouting at one another, and after taking a few moments to break up the argument Bellemere told her daughters about their sleeping arrangements.
"Just for tonight," Robin insisted, and Bellemere smiled knowingly.
Call it a mother's intuition, but Bellemere had the feeling that Robin would be staying for longer than one night.
"Please, take her," The man begged. "We have treated the girl's wounds, but we cannot keep her. It…it is too much of a danger. We are a peaceful people, but if the marines come looking for escapees…" he trailed off with a shrug. Fisher Tiger snorted in disgust. If the marines came looking for escaped slaves, they would turn her over without a second thought. There was peaceful, and then there was spineless. These so called healers were the latter.
"Fine, the Sun Pirates will drop her off somewhere. What's the name of her home island?"
"We don't know. The girl hasn't spoken a word since she's collapsed on our doorstep. We don't even know her name," the healer admitted, dropping his eyes. Fisher Tiger frowned.
"And you expect us to just…take her?" Fisher Tiger spat. "Without a destination in mind? The pirate's life is not meant for a child."
"All we ask is that you take responsibility for your actions. If not for you…"
"Then the girl would still be in slavery. Bring her out. The Sun Pirates will take her; unlike some we honor the sanctity of life."
XxX
Back on the ship, Fisher's crew huddled around the girl. Aladdin was down on the sea bottom scouting for their departure. The girl's health check would have to wait until he got back. Fisher didn't trust the humans on this island any more than the rest of their kind.
The girl was a pathetic creature, even by human standards. Fisher wasn't the best judge of human features (after a while, they all seemed to blend together), but the girl was undersized. The healers had provided her with several sets of clothes, but they were much too big. And while they did a good job of covering up her bony frame, it looked like she was drowning in her own clothes. Her head was shaved, and only a thin layer of dark fuzz covering her scalp. Fisher had yet to get a good look at her face, because the girl kept her gaze firmly glued to the deck.
Most of Fisher's crew was furious. It was one thing to put another species into slavery, at least the humans had the flimsy excuse of species superiority, but to willfully hold another of your own kind against their will was despicable. Those that had been slaves in the past were forced to once again explain that the Celestial Dragons thought themselves to be above everyone regardless of shape, size or color.
"What's your name, kid?" Hatchan asked kindly. The girl hunkered down, as if she expected to get hit.
"Where're you from? Don't ya want to go home?" Arlong asked. There was no sympathy in his voice, only hopeful expectation. He had made it clear that he found this venture to be a foolish one, and wanted to be rid of the girl as soon as possible. Fisher glared in his direction. They would need to have a one to one chat, and soon.
The girl still didn't answer, but was saved from more questions by the timely arrival of Aladdin. Fisher Tiger pulled the doctor over and quickly explained the situation to him. The ex-slave nodded sadly, and pushed his way through the crowd. Gently he took the girl's arm and led her to the infirmary. Fisher followed. He wanted to see the extent of the human's cruelty for himself.
Aladdin began his examination slowly, taking his time to explain every procedure before he did it. With careful fingers he looked in her ears and mouth, took her vital signs, and went over her scalp for fleas and lice. Fisher sat in the background, feeling his fury rise every time Aladdin made another note documenting the cruelty the girl had suffered.
After a while, Aladdin softly asked the girl to take off her baggy shirt so that he could continue. She did so immediately and without any protest. It took every scrap of Fisher's fraying self-control to keep from sailing back to Mariejois and razing it a second time. Scars and burns-some old, others just beginning to heal-peppered her bony back and arms. The Hoof of the Soaring Dragon stood out starkly on her lower back, mocking Fisher's insignificance in comparison to the untouchable Celestial Dragons.
Aladdin, bless him, gave no indication of shock or anger. Instead he calmly and professionally treated her wounds just like any other fishman's. When he was done with the girl's torso he repeated the process with her legs.
"All done," he said crisply. "Now, why don't you go to the kitchens and get yourself a nice, hot meal. Here, I'll make a list of things for the cook to make you."
"But I didn't earn it," the girl rasped. Fisher was shocked; he was beginning to think she didn't have a voice. Once the words sank in his temper boiled over.
"No one earns their meals on my ship!" Fisher bellowed. "Everyone eats when they are hungry, that is my rule!"
"I'm sorry," she said, her tone even and controlled, "I didn't know your rules. I gladly accept my punishment."
Fisher fumed. The girl had no emotion on her face, no variation in the tone of her voice, nothing to indicate she was truly alive. What had the humans done to damage her in such a way? Angrily he stomped over and grabbed her arm. There was no struggle as she followed him below decks and into the engine room, and over the roar in his own ears Fisher could hear Aladdin shouting at him, which he ignored. This needed to be done.
Barring the door so no one could get in, Fisher put a heavy iron into the engine's fires. He could see the barest hint of fear in her eyes. Good. She wasn't completely gone.
"Take your shirt off and get on your knees," he commanded. With stiff motions she obeyed. Closing her eyes the girl took deep breaths, preparing herself for whatever the fishman had in store.
Fisher took out the iron and held it in front of the girl. "Open your eyes." She did as he said, confusion flickering over her face. "This is the symbol of the Sun Pirates. Every person on this ship has one, because whether or not someone was a slave in their past doesn't mean that their future can't burn just as brightly as the sun. Here everyone is equal. You will not be indentured to us. You will not be at our every beck and command. You. Will. Be. Free. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Then I'll erase your old mark of shame, and with the Sun Pirates you'll start your new life."
Fisher walked behind the girl, and with one fluid motion placed the red-hot iron directly over the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon. The girl bit back a scream, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. In a single moment, Fisher changed her identity.
As Fisher walked over to let in Aladdin to treat her newest (and final) burn, he asked one last question. "So, what is your name? We can't just go around calling you 'kid' or 'girl'."
"Ni-Nico Robin. My name is Nico Robin," she choked out. Fisher looked over at the sobbing girl. The damage done by the Celestial Dragons wasn't undone, not by a longshot, but today she had made her first step towards healing.
"Welcome aboard, Nico Robin. Your freedom awaits you."
"Mr. Revolutionary, I don't require a babysitter to eat my lunch."
Dragon looked up from his newspaper. "I am not babysitting you," he said impassively.
"Oh? Then why is it every time I wake up you're sitting there. If I didn't know better I'd think you had ulterior motives," Nico Robin replied between spoonfuls of soup. Dragon didn't answer the question, instead choosing to fold is paper into perfect fourths and set it aside on an end table.
"And what do you believe my ulterior motives are, Miss Nico?"
Robin's eyes flashed with anger, but a cold smile played on her lips. "I wouldn't know. I am but a poor victim of a ship wreck, held at the cruel mercy of the revolution. I couldn't possibly fathom what the most wanted man in the world would want with the demon who is rumored to hold the secrets capable of destroying the world. It is simply beyond me."
Dragon examined his nails and shook his head. "Such hurt, such anger, in one so young," he said blithely. Robin kept her face a blank mask, but he noticed that she gripped her silverware hard enough her knuckles turned white.
Any further conversation was interrupted by Ivankov. The miracle worker had volunteered to put off his trip back to his home island to take care of Nico Robin until she was in full health. The ruler of the Queendom was quick and efficient with his cares, chatting all the while. If her lack of response bothered him, he didn't show it, although with his thick layers of makeup sometimes it was hard to tell.
"Vell! Vou are doing very good." Ivankov said approvingly. "Iv only my other patients ver so compliant vith their treatment. In a vew more days, vou vill be as good as new!" With an obnoxious wink, he left Dragon and Robin alone once more.
Dragon looked at the door, making sure that Ivankov didn't return. "You do well around him. Many would be uncomfortable," he noted.
"One could do much worse for company," Robin said darkly, returning to her soup.
"I agree. Now that we can be assured of your health, I wanted to bring up your future."
Pausing mid-slurp, Robin eyed him dangerously. Dragon recognized the calculating look on her face; she was trying to decide whether or not she could kill him and get away with it.
"I am very grateful for your kindness," she began slowly, "but I don't think it would be in our best interests to work together."
"I want nothing to do with the weapons, Robin. I'm searching for the secrets of the Void Century." Dragon looked Nico Robin directly in the eye, ignoring the clang as she dropped her soup bowl. "You don't know it, but the Revolution has been looking for you. We haven't been looking long, but the ship wreck must have been some kind of fate. You are the Light of the Revolution. Our goals…they're the same."
"You're lying," Robin replied automatically. "You're lying and trying to trick me, just like everyone else."
"I understand why you might think that," Dragon said sadly. "I can't imagine what these last ten years have been like for you. You are free to leave at any time; no one will keep you here against your will. I would, however, insist you wait until you're fully recovered until you make your final decision."
Robin stared blankly at him, seemly oblivious to the stain spreading on her sheets. "How…how do you know about the Void Century? Everything's… gone."
The barest hint of a smile crept on Dragon's face. He had her. Nico Robin played a tough game, but deep beneath her stony exterior was a girl craving for love and acceptance. She had experienced more pain and suffering than most men could in a dozen lifetimes, and Dragon knew that if he could give her a soft place to land that the last Oharan would fight for his cause.
"It's a long story," he said nonchalantly.
"You did say that you wanted me to stay until I was fully recovered, did you not?" Robin answered, her voice strained.
"If you insist. It begins like this…"
"Goin' somewhere?"
Ace flashed a cheeky grin as the newest member of the Whitebeard Pirates turned and gave him an annoyed glare. She was a pretty lady, twenty something with exotic eyes and a strong nose that caught the attention of every man she passed. Tonight she wore dark clothing that blended in well with the shadows, and Ace knew he had caught her trying sneak off the Moby Dick. Again.
"Nowhere in particular," she replied calmly, as if he hadn't just interrupted what was sure to be a clever, well planned escape plan.
"Look, it's Robin, right?" Ace paused, but she didn't answer, so he continued. "Pops has decided you're a part of his crew. There's no real use fighting it, you're one of his now."
Maybe he didn't choose his words well, because she stiffened. "And if I don't want to belong to Whitebeard?"
Ace laughed, covering his mouth to stifle the noise. It was pretty late (or early in the morning, one of the two) and he didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention. "Lady, why wouldn't you want to be a part of Pop's crew? I can literally think of no downside."
There was a stony silence between them, and Ace suppressed a sigh. "Hey, I know being the new guy, err, girl kinda sucks, but trust me! The guys stop razzing on you after a while. It's their way of saying 'Welcome to the ship!'"
"Thank you for your kind words. If that's all, I think I'll go back to my quarters," Robin said coldly. She was probably giving him a look that could peel paint, although Ace couldn't be sure in the darkness. As she brushed passed him, Ace reached out and grabbed her shoulder.
"I'm just trying to help! I know from experience that struggling won't fix anything. Hell, I tried to kill the old man a hundred times when I was first recruited, and Pops still loves me the same as everyone else."
Robin stopped, although she didn't turn to face him. "You tried to kill Whitebeard? A hundred times?"
"At least, we kind of stopped counting after a while," Ace said sheepishly. "Ask any of the guys, they'll tell you. They all got a kick out of it, especially Marco."
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," Robin said bluntly.
Ace laughed again, this time unable to keep it quiet. "You don't know the half of it. Trust me, whatever your 'deal' is," he said, with finger quotes for emphasis, "Pops don't care. No one cares. Everyone on this ship is family."
Robin didn't say anything, and Ace wished there was a brighter moon out so he could read her expression. He could have easily used his power, but that would have alerted sentries that something was going on, and his gut was telling him that this needed to be a private conversation.
Maybe a different avenue was needed. Putting his fingers through his belt loops, Ace pondered how to get through to her. "Hey, I've heard some of the guys say you're pretty smart. Let's look at things logically. Pops has already issued you his protection, and he's the undisputed strongest man in the world. What force could possibly go up against that sort of strength?"
Was it a trick of the shadows, or did her shoulders droop a little?
Pushing his opening, Ace continued, "You were by yourself when we picked you up, right? You haven't mentioned any family, or a boyfriend or anything, so I don't think there's anyone waiting for you. From what I've seen and heard, all you do is sit in your corner reading and make the occasional escape attempt. Most would jump at the chance to sail under Whitebeard's flag, but you're trying to push it away, even though you don't have any reason to."
"And why do you care? It's none of your business," Robin snapped.
"Like hell it's not. I plan on challenging for the Second Division Commander spot, meaning it'll be my job to be Pop's eyes and ears; to do as he would do, the way he would do it."
"You're not a Division Commander yet, Fire Fist." The hardness in her tone made Ace take a half-step back, but he steeled himself. He was close. She was only fighting back this hard because he was close.
"Fine, have it your way. I'm still your superior on this ship, which according to Whitebeard's law, makes me your older brother—" Ace was slapped across the face before he could finish his sentence. He stared at Robin in shock; she hadn't moved, where had the hand come from?
"You. Are not. My brother," she snarled. "No one on this ship, no one on any ship, is a member of my family. I haven't—" A choked sound escaped from Robin as she cut off the rest of whatever she was going to say. Ace rubbed his cheek, damn she slapped hard, and scrambled for a way to defuse the situation.
"You haven't had a family in a long time?" he supplied. Wordlessly she nodded, and Ace felt his stomach drop. "I know the feeling. I won't go into details, but I had people who wanted me dead ever since I was born." Robin's head turned, and Ace offered a shaky grin that she couldn't see. Why was he sharing this? Because she was a kindred spirit? Because he wanted her to understand?
"I was lucky, got a couple of brothers and a grandpa that looked after me, but it wasn't the same ya know? People wanted me dead for something I couldn't help, so I went to sea and to make a long story short Whitebeard came and gave me everything I could ever want. It could be the same for you, if you give yourself the chance."
There was another long silence, and Ace had to force himself to keep from fidgeting. "I have a bounty," Robin whispered, "79,000,000 berries." Ace gave a low whistle. His was over five times that amount, but it was respectable number. "I've had it for eighteen years. Ask anyone on this ship from the West Blue, and they'll know who I am."
"Eighteen years? But you're only…"
"Twenty six," Robin said bitterly. "I've had my bounty since I was eight years old." she said, saving Ace the trouble of doing the math.
"That's…rough," Ace said slowly, "but everything I said still stands. No one here cares what happened eighteen years ago, Whitebeard doesn't give a damn about our deepest, darkest secrets. Whatever it is you're searching for, we can help you find it."
There was a pause. "You've given me a lot to think about Fire Fist."
"So…No more stealing our escape boats and running away?" he asked hopefully.
"Not for now, no."
Recognizing it was the best he was going to get for now, Ace accepted the answer. He watched the newest Whitebeard Pirate saunter back to the woman's quarters. He couldn't see, but he suspected she already had her perfect mask back up in place, as if her conversation with him hadn't happened.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and grinned. That would change in time. Pops had the ability to bring out the best in people. And hell, he had been particularly stubborn; she just needed a little more time to soften up.
"You can call me Ace, you know that, right?" he called after her. Robin didn't answer, having already melted into the shadows of the Moby Dick.
Yawning, Ace winced. He needed to find a mirror; that slap had probably left a bruise. The guys would get a kick out of seeing their invincible logia injured, but Ace didn't really mind.
To help out a new member of the family, it was worth it.
AN: This was totally fun to write, coming up with ideas for AU speculation was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, and once I started I got on a roll. I almost feel as if I could take a lot of these and turn them into full-fledged fics (not that I will, but it took a lot of work to make these as short as they are). Kudos to Aoi24 for the great challenge. Like I said earlier, check out his (or her, I don't know, lol) page for a full list of fics done in this format. Some of the ideas are quite clever. As a side note, I have no idea how to write Ivankov's accent, I apologize for awfulness in advance.
Edit: If you're reading this for the first time, I have written several continuations for this. And by several I mean, like, four. Check out chapters 21, 22, 32, and 33.