Brand New World
Ch. 3: Nighttime with Nico Robin
The party was great. We started the soiree with a kanpai from the whole crew. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were dancing around like the kids they were. Zoro was drinking sake like it was air or water, and Sanji was showing his affection towards Nami and Robin. The party lasted for a few hours, but it`s over now. It`s about ten or eleven at night, and I just came up on the mast`s crossbeam to sit and think about all that`s happened today. In a few hours, I went from a person who had no idea where he came from, to a guy from another world who has some of his memory back, but still no idea how he got to another world and why I`ve gained a physique that most athletes back home would kill for. I had just a few questions before, but now I`m left with more questions than answers. I was thinking things over when I heard some footsteps from behind me. It was Robin, checking on me I guess.
"Mind if I join you up there?" she asked me.
"Not at all," I replied. She used her powers to make some arms on the side of the mast, and walked up them like stairs. When she got closer, I gave her my hand and lifted her up pretty easily. I certainly don`t remember bring this strong, from what I remember anyway. "So why are you out here this late?"
"That`s what I was going to ask you," she replied calmly. "You seemed pretty sad before the party started. What`s the matter?"
"It`s nothing," I replied, trying not to look her in the face. "I just got a memory back I didn`t really want to remember."
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, in a calm yet inquisitive voice. "I`ll try not to judge."
"If I told you," I started, "you probably wouldn`t believe me."
"I`ve seen some strange things in this world," Robin replied smiling a bit. "I`ve learned that almost anything is possible in this world."
"That is true. This is One Piece," I thought to myself. "Alright, but you have to promise to keep this between us until I want to tell the others," I told hear sternly.
"I promise," Robin said calmly.
"Well, the truth is…" I started slowly. "…I`m from another world where this world is chronicled as a manga by a man called Eiichiro Oda, and the same thing has been done to other worlds by different people. I`m just an ordinary 18-year-old guy who is an avid manga fan gifted with slightly greater intelligence and good art skills. I know everything that has happened to Luffy from his meeting his friend Coby, whom Zoro met, up until now when you met up with Luffy and joined his crew after he beat the shit out of Crocodile. I have no idea how I got here, or why I have a super-human physique, but all I know is I`m here. That`s it. If you want to call me crazy, go ahead."
"Wow," Robin said with an astonished look on her face which I can`t recall ever seeing from her. "That`s a new one. I`m... I… I don`t know what to say."
"Do you think I`m crazy?" I asked looking down at the deck.
"No, not at all," she said. My face lit up immediately. "I`ve got a feeling you`re telling the truth. But I have to ask, why did you come up here to think about this?"
"The night sky just calms me, I`ve always felt that way," I replied, looking up at the starry sky.
"The night sky calms me too," Robin said looking at me. "I`m going to bed now. What about you?"
"I`ll hit the sack in a little bit," I replied looking at the sky, again. "I want to sit out here a little longer."
"I`d like to hear more about your world and the other stories you`ve read," Robin said. "Would you like to tell me some time?"
"Sure," I said. "But it`d have to be when everyone else is asleep. I don`t want them to find out just yet."
"Of course," Robin said in reply. "Good night."
"Good night," I replied as she closed the door. I don`t know what it is, but talking with her made me feel much easier about being here. This trip is definitely gonna be a good thing.