Eeh... I've never tried to write Robin before... I don't think there's many spoilers in this story, except for Robin herself. At least I hope there aren't...

And... thank you, Saiyako, for all the nice reviews. I was to say the least surprised to find nine new messages in my inbox just like that.

Noise
By KuroKame

Not even the interesting tales in my books can completely shut out the noise around me. Silence is rare aboard this ship, and that seems to be the way they all like it, whether they know it or not.

As I sit here at the aft deck in the shade of the Navigator's miniature orchard while trying to concentrate on the information in the newest addition to my growing collection of rare books, I am glad that the noise is there in the background. Even as I have only been traveling with these pirates for a short time, I have already grown accustomed to their ways, and I think I would be feeling very uneasy if there was to be a longer period of silence.

Judging by the occasional crashes and all the shouting, it seems like the Captain once again managed to lure his friends into another game. I still have to figure out if the rest of them are aware of the fact that they end up playing along with him even if they do not want to.

Flipping a page in my book, I already know that I stopped reading several minutes ago. The sound of their voices has already broken my concentration, and I can help that I feel a bit curious to know what they are doing. Putting down my book, I decide that I should get a glass of water to ease the feeling of dehydration that has settled in my body. It seems like only minutes had passed since I sat down here, when several hours have passed since morning.

Every day, I observe everything around me. It is something I do to survive. When I find a puzzle, I cannot rest until I have solved it, just like I cannot feel at ease until I have found out exactly what I need to know about a person. It is a necessity if I am to find the True History.

However, I have not been able to solve the puzzle that is this band of pirates, even though I have been observing them closely for two weeks now. I have not been able to find out how six so very different persons can work together like they do. Their ways of communication are completely different from any other group I have ever seen.

What I do know is that they have found something that they have in common, even if I have yet to find that out myself.

Their group is a mystery, and yet… When I tried to gain their trust in the beginning of our journey together, I thought that I had figured them all out. Once the Captain agreed to let me go with them, I could easily gain the crew's trust… Well, maybe except for the Swordsman, but I do have a feeling that he will not trust anyone that easily. However, I can never be certain when it comes to this crew.

I walk down the stairs towards the main deck, watching as the Captain rockets himself across the ship while both the Cook and the Swordsman chase him, clearly enraged by some reason. But the Captain simply laughs and continues to fly across the deck, grabbing hold of ropes and railings to gain momentum for the next change of direction.

One would not have to be clairvoyant to predict that this game will end with someone diving into the ocean to save our Captain from a certain death, but that seems to be the last thing on their mind right now. I guess that is why I decide to let them be and head for the kitchen after sending out a line of arms to grab hold of the Captain's foot so that he will not fly too far away from the ship. His cheerful voice calling out 'Thanks, Robin!' before I let him fly in the opposite direction causes a smile to appear on my lips before I enter the warm, empty cabin to get my glass of water.

When I return to my chair and my book in the shade of the tangerine trees, the last thing I hear before I am caught by the interesting story again is a surprised 'Oops!' and a distant splash of water, shortly followed by five other voices calling out the Captain's name and another splash as someone dives after him.

Somehow, they manage to be noisy in everything they do. Maybe that is why I feel so at ease around them. Because none of them will silently sneak up on me to stab me in the back…

0-o That wasn't too pointless, I hope...