Rating: K+
Spoilers: None
Timeframe: AU, couldn't help but try out the "Straw Hats in school" plot

Summary: Between an insane faculty, difficult school work, and the torment of bullies Robin wasn't sure how much more she could take. The last thing she needed was the schoolyard idiot asking her to join his club.

Robin was awake before her alarm went off. She glared at the glowing red numbers, not wanting to leave her warm, comfortable bed but unable to justify not getting up. As quietly as she could Robin reached over and turned off the alarm and started getting ready for class. Kaya slept on. Robin's roommate was lucky enough not to have a class first period, and wasn't likely to wake up for another hour or so.

By this time in the semester Robin had her routine down pat: get up and dressed, brush teeth, grab books, head down to the cafeteria, try not to be noisy. As she headed out of the dorm, Robin walked around a few bleary-eyed students and did her best to not be in anyone's way. Between the months of August and June the Grand Line Academy for the Exceptionally Talented was home to approximately five hundred students, and from Robin's experience none of them were what she'd call 'morning people'.

She made it to the cafeteria without incident. Picking up a tray, Robin tried to give the cook a small smile. She always made an effort to be polite even though Wanze creeped her out. Between his questionable fashion choices and his equally questionable hygiene standards he took a lot of abuse from the student body. Chances were he was would eventually snap from the strain, and Robin didn't want to be the one who set him off.

"What'll ya have?" he asked loudly. "Pancakes, oatmeal, or noodles?"

Wanze served noodles with every meal. Robin found this to be odd.

"Oatmeal, please."

"You sure? The ramen turned out spectacular today!"

"I'm sure," Robin said emphatically. With a sigh, the cook plopped some oatmeal into a bowl and handed it to her. With a small nod of thanks, she took it and went to sit.

Managing the ever-changing politics of the cafeteria seating arrangement was always something of a chore. There was a table at the back of the room just for the misfits, while the seven members of the student council and their friends all got the best seats by the dessert bar. Everyone else was spread out in small cliques, which would change as friendships were made and broken.

Breakfast was the easiest meal to manage. Robin was an early enough riser that she was finished eating by the time most of the students were coming in. She sat, as she always did, alone at a table that had a view of the doors. It was always good to know who was arriving just in case she needed to make a quick exit.

Pulling out one of her textbooks, Robin read as she ate. Engrossed, she didn't notice when trouble came into the cafeteria until a shadow loomed over her. Looking up, Robin suppressed a grimace.

"Good morning, Hancock," Robin said. She glanced at the upperclassmen's two sisters. "Marigold, Sandersonia."

"Good morning, Nico Robin." Hancock slid gracefully into the chair opposite Robin's while her two sisters remained standing. Robin was instantly on guard. "I see you got the oatmeal this morning. Excellent choice." She flipped a strand of silky black hair behind her ear.

"What do you want?" Robin asked flatly.

"Want?" Hancock put a hand to her chest, offended. "Do I need a motive to talk to someone in my own dorm?"

Robin looked at her incredulously. Hancock and her posse had spent the semester trying to make her life miserable, all because the admissions department accidently placed her in the dormitory normally reserved for the rich students. No one tried to intervene. Hancock, besides possessing a nearly supernatural ability to weasel out of trouble, was on the student council. Between her wealth and her influence no one crossed her and got away with it.

Hancock smirked, obviously mistaking Robin's disbelief for being flattered. "I've heard good things about you, Nico Robin. You're here on full scholarship, am I right?" she asked sweetly.

Looking down at her bowl, Robin didn't answer. Of course she was on scholarship. There was no way her aunt would have paid to send her here.

"And from what I've seen, you keep to yourself. It's a shame, really. Someone as smart as you should really start making connections now, to help out after graduation." Hancock looked at her perfectly maintained nails. "I could help with that. How about we spend a night to get to know one another, maybe work on some homework together or something."

"Why would I want to spend time with you?" Robin asked coldly, ignoring Hancock's sisters as they shifted uncomfortably. "What was it you called me behind my back again? Trash? Guttersnipe?"

"I'll admit, I've misjudge you," Hancock interjected smoothly. "Allow me to make it up for it…"

"The answer's no. You're not the first person to come asking for 'help' on their homework, Hancock, and it's not happening. I won't do it for you, and I won't help you cheat."

"W-What?" Hancock sputtered. "Of course you will!"

Robin gathered up her things and stood up. "I'm not one of the girls in your little 'group'. We're not friends. You've been hateful and mean since the day we met. I've no reason to help you, and nothing you can say will change my mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got class."

Marigold and Sandersonia moved to block Robin's path, but Hancock waved them off, eyeing the instructors who had come down to eat.

"Sisters, there's no reason to start a scene here. I'm sure Robin will change her mind soon enough." Smirking, she turned her nose up. "Remember, Nico Robin, I always get what you want. Do you know why?" Robin shook her head, a feeling of apprehension settling over her.

"Why, it's because I'm beautiful."

Sliding into her assigned chair just as the bell rang, Robin took a deep breath. It was stupid to be worried over Boa Hancock, but Robin couldn't help it. Nothing good could come out of denying her of what she wanted.

Oh well. There was nothing Robin could do about it now. She refused to betray the principals that the archeologists at the University of Ohara had taught her. If she could just make it through the next two weeks then the semester would be over. Surely Hancock would forget about the whole thing over break. At least, that's what Robin hoped. Having to avoid Hancock for the rest of the year would be a pain.

A hush went over the class as the instructor entered the band room. Mr. Brook was the tallest, skinniest man Robin had ever seen. He dressed in an old-fashioned black suit—which included an honest-to-goodness top hat—and carried a lacquered-purple cane. He was eccentric yet brilliant, and reminded Robin a bit of Professor Clover.

"Good morning!" he sang, hanging his hat on the corner of a music stand and letting his round sunglasses hang from a chain against his chest. "Today you're all going to continue working on your final projects, which are due next Wednesday. Go on, disperse! You all know what to do!"

Chairs screeched against the linoleum floors as most the class scrambled for the instruments. Mr. Brook had given the students a choice for their final: They could either write a paper or compose a song. Robin, who had chosen to write the paper, had already finished and turned it in.

"Miss Robin, may I have a word?" Mr. Brook asked over the growing noise.

"Of course, sir," she replied and followed him into his office that was connected to the band room.

Mr. Brook pulled out a seat for Robin. The office was cramped; an entire wall was covered with filing cabinets full of sheet music, and a small table, serving as a desk, took up another. Shuffling around her, Mr. Brook sat in an uncomfortable-looking swivel chair.

"Miss Robin, I finished looking over your paper," he began jovially, "and I always like to give the students who turn in work early a chance to look at their preliminary grade and let them make revisions if they want to."

"Oh," Robin said.

After taking a moment to shift through a few stacks different stacks on his table, Mr. Brook found what he was looking for. He handed Robin the research paper and said, "Now, you've done excellent work throughout this semester, Miss Robin, and I think you would like to take the opportunity to change some things."

Frowning, she looked at her grade and gasped. 89%. Confused, Robin looked up at her instructor. "What did I do wrong? All the research I did was correct, and my analysis of how the Florentine Camerata influenced the Baroque Period…" Robin trailed off when she saw Mr. Brook's sad smile.

"Ah, it seems you misunderstood the assignment, Miss Robin. I think you've even misunderstood the entire point of this class." he said, leaning back in his chair.

"What?"

"Why did you sign up for this class?" Mr. Brook asked pointedly. "Forgive me for saying it, but Appreciation of Music doesn't seem to be in your wheelhouse. Not that I haven't enjoyed your input, of course."

Robin looked down at the paper in her lap, embarrassed. "I needed another credit, sir, and nothing else fit in with my schedule."

"I thought so. Don't worry, I'm not offended! Over half my students are like that or looking for a cupcake course!" Mr. Brook laughed. "But I still try and teach them, all the same.

"Miss Robin, I don't care so much about dates or analysis. Those things can be found in any old book. What I really want to know is your opinion, how the song made you feel all the way in the depths of your soul."

"But that's not research," Robin argued. "You're not supposed to give subjective information in research papers, just facts."

"Maybe in a history or science class, but like I said, Miss Robin, this is Appreciation of Music. How else am I to judge if you appreciate something if you never give your personal opinion?"

"But…"

Mr. Brook held up one bony hand to stop her protest. "You're interested in languages, aren't you?"

"Yes," Robin said warily. "How did you know?"

"These ears hear more than the difference between a C# and a D," he said, his eyes dancing. "Music is its own language, with its own grammar and vocabulary. There's syntax and mood, phrases and style. Every song bears a message, but the magic is that the interpretation can be different for whoever listens, and each musician leaves their own fingerprint for the audience to decipher. You can hear a song a hundred times, and still learn something new the next time it's played."

"I…I guess I never thought of it that way, sir," Robin said.

"Well, then I've done my job for today." Mr. Brook tapped the paper in Robin's lap. "Revise this. You were correct saying that the writing is fine from a technical standpoint, but you are capable of much better."

Robin nodded, eyes glued on the bold 89%. Academics was the one area in life where she wasn't totally hopeless, and failing to maintain her normal standard of perfection ate at her insides. But what Mr. Brook was asking for was unlike any homework assignment or test she had ever done before, and Robin wasn't quite sure how to go about fixing it.

Pondering how best to rewrite her paper, Robin went back to her seat. Using a music stand for a desk, she flipped through the pages and listened to the noise that surrounded her. The compositions her classmates were putting together were abysmal, with one exception.

In one corner a boy played a clarinet beautifully. Apoo was probably the only one in the class that knew anything about music at the beginning of the year, and it showed. His expression was serine as he played, and Robin found herself studying him trying to figure out what in the world was so special.

The bell rang before she could. Robin shoved her things in her bag. Maybe Mr. Brook was on to something when he said music was a language of its own, but it was a language that was foreign and unfamiliar, and she didn't understand it.

There was an idea for a paper somewhere in that concept. Robin would just have to tease it out.

"What is your problem?!"

Robin jumped. Still going over her paper, she hadn't heard Vivi come up behind her. Pulling her coat tighter around her, Robin returned the blue-haired girl's glare.

"I didn't do anything, Princess," Robin snapped. Vivi flinched at the much hated nickname.

Cold December wind whipped around them. Luckily Vivi seemed content to approach Robin alone, so it was just the two of them huddled by the schoolyard's fence.

"Hancock just wanted your help. There was no reason to be rude to her this morning," Vivi said.

Biting back a laugh, Robin shook her head. "Hancock wanted me to help her cheat."

"Did she say that, or is that what you assumed?" Vivi challenged.

"She implied plenty," Robin said. Then a horrible thought came to her, and her eyes narrowed. "Did she send you, Vivi? Did your precious empress sell her sob story and make you come confront me? If so, you can go back and say I haven't changed my mind."

"No one sent me," Vivi said indignantly. "Yes, I heard her talking about what you said, but I decided to talk to you myself."

"Or Hancock knew you were listening and knew you would do her dirty work for her. Just…go away and leave me alone."

Looking hurt, Vivi turned to leave. "You know, Robin, this feud between Hancock and you is a little ridiculous. I think you could be friends, but that would mean you'd have to make an effort."

This time Robin couldn't hold back a laugh. "That's very idealistic of you, Princess, but I don't agree. Hancock has you wrapped around her finger, and I can't fathom why. But who you hang out with is your business, so I guess I don't really care."

Vivi hurried away, and Robin thought she might have made her cry. Feeling only a little guilty about it, Robin rubbed her hands together. The half-hour exercise time after lunch was nice earlier in the fall, but now the wind cut through her layers, and she was beginning to lose feeling in her fingers.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Robin went stock-still. She had been so concentrated on Vivi she hadn't heard Hancock come up behind her. Maybe that had been the plan all along. Vivi would never have knowingly participated in such underhanded tactics, but then again Vivi was easily manipulated.

"I just told your lackey, I'm not helping you cheat," Robin said quietly.

"Oh, Vivi? Ha, as if I cared what you told that idiot," Hancock said. "She played her part well enough."

"So, what now?" Robin asked, looking from Hancock to her two sisters. She had an idea of what was coming, but couldn't help but ask.

"I think you know, peasant," Hancock said, her voice low and dangerous as she stalked forward. "I would have preferred for things to remain nice and friendly between us, but someone needs a lesson in manners."

Robin took a step back. It was times like this where she wished she had friends—a friendly acquaintance even—that could run and get a teacher. But between Hancock's bullying and Robin's own standoffish personality she had spent her semester alone.

She would pay for that now. Whatever Hancock had planned, it wasn't likely to be pleasant.

Robin smiled weakly. If she was going to go down, it wasn't going to be without a fight. "You know, Hancock, I don't think you would know what 'nice' was if it bit you in the—"

"Sisters, hold her down," Hancock interrupted. "We don't want her running away again, do we?"

A pair of vice-like grips reached around her arms. Robin yelped in pain. Shooting a glare at the older girl, she jutted her chin out defiantly. "I knew you had no principals, but beating up underclassmen? That's low."

"Beat you up? Why would I sully my hands?" Hancock smirked and stalked closer. She grabbed a fistful of Robin's hair, pulling it painfully. "I'm going to humiliate you, Nico Robin. Nobody defies me and gets away with it. Least of all insignificant plebs who can't afford to properly—"

"Hey! What're you doing?"

The cry interrupted whatever it was Hancock was going to say. The council member closed her eyes in annoyance but didn't turn her attention away from Robin. "Go away. I'm busy."

"I don't care. I wanted to play here, and you can't make me leave."

Robin's eyes widened in shock. As best she could, she looked over Hancock's shoulder to see who dared to defy the Empress of the Academy. A boy with shaggy black hair and a scar under one eye glared mulishly at the group in front of him, not at all concerned by whom he was speaking to.

It was Monkey D. Luffy. Of course it was. No one else would be stupid enough to openly challenge Hancock and her sisters, especially alone. While Robin didn't have any classes with him (she had heard he was taking nothing but remedial courses because his grades were so bad), she knew of his reputation. He was the sort of student she hated most, one who had been accepted because of his legacy status and not because of his merit. By all accounts he was an idiot and a troublemaker, and his group of misfits had been the source of many a rumor over the course of the semester.

"Little boy, if you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and walk away," Hancock said dangerously.

"No. I don't wanna."

Luffy's impudence might have been ignored if not for the fact he was picking his nose. Hancock's grip on Robin's hair tightened, and Robin squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to make any noise. Then the upperclassmen let go and turned to face Luffy, a sickly sweet smile on her face.

"Run along, boy, and I'll make it worth your while," she purred, batting her eyelashes. "There's nothing to see here."

Robin could hardly believe her eyes. Hancock was flirting with Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy! The class clown, the idiot from Fusha, the Legacy with odd ideas and weird friends.

The thought made her want to throw up a little.

"What are you talking about? Hey, why are you grabbing that lady's arms!?" Luffy exclaimed.

"Huh? She's been there the entire time!"

"I don't like you," Luffy declared, hands on his hips. "Go away."

"Don't like…? Who do you think you are?" Hancock snarled.

Luffy grinned, his dark eyes surprisingly intense. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna find One Piece."

The four girls were struck dumb by the ridiculous statement. Years ago a student by the name of Roger had supposedly left something behind at the school to be found. Exactly what that something was nobody knew, but Roger had made a name for himself and was considered the king of delinquents everywhere. Since then countless kids had tried and failed to find his 'treasure'. Nowadays, general consensus was One Piece was Roger's greatest trick and it had never existed in the first place.

The bell rang, breaking the spell. Hancock sneered one final time at Luffy, then turned her nose up so far she was looking at the sky. "I won't forget this," she spat. With a grand twirl she turned back towards her sisters. "Let's go. I don't have time for this now."

Marigold and Sandersonia released Robin and obediently followed their sister. Robin watched them go, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. That had been to close a call. She would have to be more careful.

Rubbing her arms, Robin glanced at Luffy sidelong. The boy was frowning unhappily. "That sucks, I didn't get to play at all," he groaned to nobody in particular. "Now it's time for class. Bleh."

"Thanks," Robin mumbled.

He turned towards her, his eyes widening in surprise. "Huh? Why?"

Robin looked at him crossly. No one could possibly be that thick. "For stopping Hancock."

"What? Weren't you guys playing a game?"

She stood corrected. "No."

"Oh." Luffy looked at her, face screwed up in concentration. Robin stepped back, immensely uncomfortable. "I like you. I didn't like that other girl, but you're nice. Wanna join my club?"

Club? Surely he didn't mean the group of delinquents he hung around with?

"I—I'm going to be late," Robin sputtered. Turning tail, she rushed to the school without sparing a second glance to the strange boy and his offer.

As a general rule, Robin loved her classes. Even Appreciation to Music, which focused on a subject she neither cared about nor understood, was taught by an engaging and entertaining teacher. The rest of her classes were challenging and centered around subjects Robin actually enjoyed.

Robin hated homeroom.

Part of the problem was Hancock, but so long as Robin made sure to sit on the other side of the room that usually wasn't much of a problem. Hancock valued her image above all else, and refused to tarnish that image by doing her dirty work where everyone could see.

Spandam was a different story entirely. Unlike Wanze, who was a basically harmless weirdo with an inexplicable affinity for noodles, the teacher was just as much a bully as Hancock, but without any of the older girl's natural charisma. The man gave Monkey D. Luffy a run for his money in the smarts department, and only had his position because of some sort of connection with the school board.

He also didn't care much for Robin. As much as she tried to be invisible, a few weeks into the semester Spandam had taken a sudden and powerful dislike to her, going so far as to say Robin shouldn't have been admitted into the Academy in the first place because of her connection to the University of Ohara.

But no one, especially not his colleagues, liked Spandam so he was ignored. Robin tried to stay out of his way, and for the most part the arrangement worked.

After the lunch recess Robin made a beeline for seat in the back corner. Once in her chair she pulled out a book and hunched over her reading, hiding her face behind a curtain of dark hair. Luffy and Hancock had put her on edge, and she just wanted the day to be over.

The door to the classroom burst open and Spandam entered. The man dropped his coffee and swore loudly. A wave of snickers went through the room before everyone went back to what they had been doing.

Spandam looked at his students, the mask he wore casting deep shadows across his face. Robin had heard that he started wearing it a year ago after an accident in the shop building left his face horribly disfigured. Robin thought it was one of Luffy's friends who had done the deed, forcing the boy to repeat the year.

It was just another reason to stay far, far away from Monkey D. Luffy.

Spandam slammed his expensive leather briefcase on his desk, making several unsuspecting students jump. With a smug grin, he dramatically undid the latches. The temperature of the room seemed to decrease ten degrees, and Robin tried to slide down into her seat further.

"Good afternoon," Spandam said nastily.

No one said a word.

"I said, good afternoon," he repeated, smacking a hand against his desk. He accidently rammed his hand into the stapler, which judging by the string of profanities was very painful.

"Good afternoon," the class replied, more than a few wearing amused smiles. Robin was not one of those students. Spandam was laughably ineffective except for when he realized he was being disrespected. Then he was terrifyingly cruel, willing to use every one of his many connections to 'settle the score', even though in most cases he was going against teenagers with far less power than he did.

Robin thought Spandam liked lording over people, and since he was incapable of doing that with his peers he settled for ordering his students around like they were dogs.

"That's more like it," he muttered. Scanning the class, he locked eyes with Robin, smirk returning. Spandam pulled out two pieces of paper from his briefcase, holding one in each hand. "Do you know what these are?" he asked loudly, with an air of bravado and showmanship.

Most of the class honestly didn't care. Homeroom was supposed to be for announcements and group activities, but because Spandam was Spandam that had quickly fallen by the wayside and had become extra free time. A few of the more diligent students murmured, "No, sir," but the rest had returned to their normal routine of stalwartly ignoring Spandam.

He didn't seem to notice this time. Shaking the paper in his left hand he said, "This is the answer key to a recent test by Professor Haredas." He shook the paper in his right hand. "This is a test by one of the students in Haredas' Earth science class. They are word-for-word, exactly the same."

This perked the interest of the class. Robin could hear the hushed whispers as they spread across the room. Someone had cheated? Who? Why the hell does Spandam have Haredas's test?

From the front row Hancock leaned forward with eager apprehension.

"Nico Robin, come forward!" Spandam said, a feverous glint in his eyes. "I have just been alerted of your dishonest ways by an entrepreneuring student, and I must say I'm not at all surprised. Of course, Haredas will have to be alerted, but why delay the punishment?"

Robin felt the blood drain from her face. Every eye was on her, most wide with shock. Boa Hancock just propped her head up on her hand, a victorious smile dancing on her lips. She shook her head in mock disappointment as Robin walked down the aisle of desks, reveling in her humiliation.

"Now then," Spandam began, his voice sickly sweet, "What do you have to say for yourself? Hm? Speak up, dearie, I can't hear you!"

"I didn't cheat," Robin said, forcing down the angry tone that would only get her into more trouble.

"Ha! This says otherwise!" Spandam shoved the supposed test into her chest, and Robin had to fumble before it dropped to the floor. She stared at a moment, then looked at Spandam incredulously.

"This isn't mine."

"Oh, really? It has your name on it."

"No it doesn't," Robin argued.

"Yes it does! Don't play stupid with me, girl! It says right here, N-I-K-O R-O-B-I-N!"

Even though her whole attention was on Spandam, she could hear Hancock make a noise of frustration. Really, if she had wanted to get back at Robin, she should have known better to have put her trust in Spandam.

"Yes, and I know how to spell my own last name," Robin said, rolling her eyes. "N-I-C-O. I don't know who you're 'entrepreneuring student' is, but they obviously lied."

The class burst into uncontrolled laughter. What little of Spandam's face she could see flushed a deep purple color, and he tensed dangerously. For a second Robin thought he was actually going to hit her, and she took a step backwards. He relaxed with visible effort, although he was clearly still furious.

"Get out," he said, his voice dangerously calm.

"But…sir…"

"I said. Get. Out. And don't come back."

Robin swallowed hard around the lump in her throat and rushed out of the room. She had never felt the need to describe someone as menacing before, but at the moment that's what Spandam was. Menacing. The terrible rage in his eyes was worse than even Aunt Roji's temper, and Robin was more than willing never to set foot in a room with him again.

There were only two problems. One, she had no idea what she were she was supposed to go; and two, in her rush to get away she had left behind her backpack.

Robin wandered the hallways for a few minutes, trying to regain control of her racing heart. After a while she leaned against the wall, the cool concrete sending a shiver through her body. Notices and announcements were plastered all around, most with last minute news in regards to the upcoming break that couldn't come soon enough. Robin never would have thought she would prefer going home over staying at school, but things were starting to get out of hand. At least at home she knew how to avoid trouble; here it seemed like the whole school was against her.

Her eyes prickled uncomfortably at the thought. Robin rubbed them angrily. No. She was not going to cry, not now. She had to suck it up and pull herself together, because she had a whole afternoon of classes, in addition to whatever trouble that would surely come tonight. Then in the morning the hellish cycle would start all over again.

Oh, God. She didn't know if she could handle it.

"Miss Robin?"

Robin whipped her head up towards the concerned voice of Mr. Brook. He carried a handful of sheet music on one arm and his cane in the other, and looked down worriedly at her.

"Sir," Robin said respectfully, hoping he didn't notice the crack in her voice.

"Robin, are you all right?"

"Yes, sir." She dropped her eyes when he cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "…Mr. Spandam kicked me out of homeroom. Forever."

"Whatever for?" Mr. Brook asked, aghast.

"I…I don't really know," Robin admitted. "I upset him, I think."

"Well!" Mr. Brook said, as if that explained everything. "You're more than welcome to join my homeroom. We are a small but lively bunch!"

Robin nodded thankfully. "That would be wonderful, sir."

The music teacher grinned enormously at her. "Excellent! Don't tell anyone I told you this, but I've always thought that Spandam fellow was a few notes short of a scale, yohohoho! Music joke!"

Hearing Mr. Brook—easily one of the strangest, most unconventional teachers in the whole school—say that Spandam was crazy lifted Robin's spirits considerably. She laughed a little and followed him down the hall. He chatted animatedly the whole way, managing to draw Robin into the conversation. Mr. Brook was always very easy to talk to. He never looked down at his students because they were children and always seemed to value their input and opinions. If it weren't for the subject he taught he would have easily been Robin's favorite instructor.

It didn't take long to get to the band room. Whoever was inside was making a great deal of noise, for Robin could hear the students from a good twenty feet away. With dramatic flair (Robin was half-convinced the musician did everything with dramatic flair if he could), Mr. Brook flung open the door.

"Students!" he said jovially. "Welcome your new cohort! Miss Robin, this is my homeroom; homeroom, this is Miss Nico Robin."

Robin stood frozen at the small group of students. She recognized every single one of them, even if it was only by association. They all belonged to Monkey D. Luffy's gang. Club. Whatever he was calling it. There was Roronoa Zoro, who had been caught peeping in the girl's bathroom on the first day, only to have the audacity to say he had gotten lost. He appeared to be in a fistfight with the blond, lecherous Sanji. The sharply dressed young man was the go-to guy for cigarettes, and had actually been suspended for smoking on school property.

Then there was Franky, just as famous for his non-adherence to the dress code as bashing in Spandam's face. He spoke excitedly to a boy with a long nose whose name escaped Robin at the moment. Beside them was Tony Tony Chopper. Robin actually had a few classes with him, and found him to be very nice. Unfortunately the poor boy suffered from hypertrichosis, the Werewolf Disease, and a fine, downy layer of fur covered his entire body. Chopper, despite being very intelligent, was one of the few people who was picked on more than she was. It was sad he had to lower himself to this crowd to be accepted, but Robin was surprised to note he was smiling, as if he didn't mind that they were all delinquent troublemakers.

Robin also shared a few classes with the only girl in the group. A very irritated-looking Nami was attempting to tutor a seemingly-uninterested Luffy. Half the time Robin didn't know what to think of the orange-haired girl. She was smart as a whip, but short-tempered to violence. Like Robin, Nami was here on scholarship, but unlike Robin it wasn't a full-ride. It was obvious that her family didn't have much money, and Nami often used her frighteningly sharp business sense to liberate the richer students of their allowances. If she was tutoring some of the struggling members of Luffy's group she was surely being paid for it, which explained why she would tolerate their presence.

After a few seconds Robin regained her senses and remembered how to shut her mouth. She looked up at Mr. Brook incredulously. There was no way he had all of these kids for his homeroom on accident.

"No one would take them," he explained with a smile. "Personally I find their youthful energy charming."

"Hey, it's you!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping off of his chair with a large grin. "Did you decide you want to join my club after all?"

An expectant silence fell over the room as Luffy's friends awaited her answer. It seemed impossible, but everyone in this room respected Luffy. There was something under that thick head that managed to bring people together.

Luffy's friends were lower on the social ladder than Robin. Trouble followed them everywhere. They got into fights. People made fun of them behind their backs, and sometimes to their face as well. Robin's life was difficult enough without adding the additional stigma that came with associating with Monkey D. Luffy. It was easier to just run away from her problems.

"I'm just here for homeroom," Robin said softly, trying to ignore the disappointed light in Luffy's eyes.

It was just before lights out when Robin snuck back into her dormitory, having managed to avoid any more trouble by hiding in the library. She had survived another day.

There had, however, been one odd incident that she couldn't stop thinking about.

"Umm…Robin?"

Robin looked over the cover of her book at the nervous-looking boy standing in front of her. She recognized him from homeroom (Coby, perhaps? There weren't that many students with pink hair), and wondered what he wanted with her. He anxiously adjusted his round glasses, and glanced behind him.

"There's no one else here," Robin said evenly, despite her growing curiousness. She and the librarian had a good relationship, and Shanba usually would raise the alarm if she needed to leave. That he hadn't proved Coby wasn't a threat.

"G-good," he stammered, relief washing over his features. Coby took a backpack off his shoulders and handed it to her. Robin's eyes widened in surprise. It was hers, one Spandam had forced her to leave behind.

"Thank you," Robin said as she took her backpack, unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

Coby scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Don't thank me, it was Luffy's idea. He got really mad when he heard what happened."

He shuffled away as Robin gaped, unable to think of the words to express her shock.

Luffy ensured she got her backpack back. That was something a friend would do, but they weren't friends. Robin thought she had made that perfectly clear.

Opening the door to her room, Robin entered as quietly as she could. She didn't know if Kaya—with her delicate constitution—would already be asleep or not.

To her surprise Kaya was not only up, but waiting for her. She greeted Robin with a small smile, which she returned with a nod. Kaya was one of those girls caught in the middle of Hancock's empire: rich, but not ridiculously so, pretty instead of jaw-droopingly beautiful, and lacking the force of personality to make it worth the time it would take to recruit her into the most popular of circles. As long as she stayed in her place Kaya was left alone, and the girl was more than happy to oblige.

"I heard you had a rough day," she said sympathetically.

Robin nodded curtly, setting her backpack at the foot of her bed.

"I'm sorry about what Vivi said. She's really sweet, it's just…sometimes she tries so hard to see the good in people she blinds herself to their flaws. She'll come around, I promise."

"You don't have to apologize for her. You weren't the one who said anything."

"No, but sometimes there are things I could have said, but didn't, and that's just as bad," Kaya said. She hesitated for a moment. "But Usopp said you're in his homeroom now?" she asked hopefully.

That was the name of the long-nosed boy. "You know him?" Robin asked.

The barest hint of pink tinted her cheeks. "We grew up in the same neighborhood," she admitted. "But that's not what's important. Luffy's a good person, and I think you'll like him."

"He's trouble," Robin muttered.

Kaya raised an eyebrow. "I think you of all people would know what it's like to be judged prematurely. Give them a chance; they're the best friends a girl could have."

Robin dropped her eyes, admonished. "I'm going to bed."

As she pulled the blankets over her head, Robin was forced to ponder the question: Was it really worse to have an idiot for a friend than to have no friends at all?

She had a feeling she was about to find out.

AN: Story behind the story: On my old computer I started this really big, pretentious high school AU that was sure to be better than all other high school AUs. Then my computer crashed, and I realized that it was just me being big and pretentious, and I scrapped it, feeling rather silly.

So for this I tweaked the concept, took part of Robin's storyline, condensed it, and threw it into a blender. This is the result.