Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy!

I might be going a little too fast, so I'd appreciate if you tell me what you think about the chapter. Is it getting too screwy? Too something else?

I do not own One Piece as that belongs to Eiichiro Oda, Toei, and whomever else owns it.

"Hey...hey! Robin!"

Groggily, she woke up to see Luffy's face close to her.

"My, my...what a pleasant way to wake up..."

"What are you doing on the couch?" He looked panicked, and she realized he must have been frightened when he found that she wasn't in the bed.

"I got up to have a midnight snack." A simple answer, one that people wouldn't expect from her, but she hoped it would be enough to convince Luffy.

"Ah, is that so? You should have eaten some of that dinner last night. It was delicious!" Smiling, he walked to the front door to put his shoes on.

"I'm off, Robin! I'm a little late as is!"

"Alright." She made a show of stretching out her arms, trying to appear sleepy, "I'll see you later, right?"

"Of course! I should be done around two! See you!" He paused, waiting to hear her send him off.

"Mm! I have the day off, so you can expect me to be here, waiting with some plans in mind..."

"Sounds fun!" He didn't catch the hidden meaning as he left.

Quickly, she checked to see if her mask was in sight, but if by coincidence or luck, she had stashed it underneath the couch before she fell asleep.

She put a cloak on and tried to change her hairstyle. Her long, black hair stood out in a crowd, but she put it in a bun and hoped he wouldn't notice.

To be safe, she also practiced changing her voice to a deeper tone. A skill they used to teach assassins at an early age, but most weren't capable of the extent she was capable of.

Robin hoped Luffy wouldn't know who she would be. Sadly, he didn't know she could fight, but he needed to know some things if he wanted to survive the upcoming battle.

"Hey...you smell nice."

Sweating, Robin turned to see Luffy sniffing her shoulder.

They were in a train headed to what she thought was "Red-Haired"'s base, but that wasn't important.

What was important was how close he was getting to a stranger on the train. She would need to teach him that people needed privacy as everyone stared at the two in shock.

"...Thanks." Her deeper, but unmistakeably feminine voice told him, hoping he wouldn't investigate further.

"You seem familiar..." Shock went through her body, "Have we met before?"

"...No."

"Ah, well, my name's Luffy!" He put a hand out, "What's yours?"

If she wasn't wearing her mask, she was sure her expression would be one of bafflement.

"...Raven."

"Ah, Raven?" He noticed that she wasn't going to shake his hand, "That sounds a lot like Robin! Do you know her?"

'I've never seen him so inquisitive before.' She thought in despair, 'Perhaps it's instinct?!'

"...No." She wanted the conversation to end. It was getting a little on her nerves that he had approached her immediately after the train had left.

"What do you do, Raven? Today, I'm going to be a cleaner!" He smiled brightly, unsettling the woman as she knew what he was going to have to do today.

"I...I train people."

"Really?! That's so cool! To do what?!"

'Assassination' "To fight."

"Fighting? Are you any good?"

"Yes. In fact, would you like to train with me for a bit?" This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Originally, she was going to force her techniques onto him in some alleyway, but he had volunteered, making everything easier for her.

"Hm...I don't know...I'm already late to my job..."

"It wouldn't take very long. I promise."

"Hm..." He rocked his head from side to side, unsettling her.

Finally, he sighed, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, but you have to promise me something!"

"What do you want me to promise?"

He grinned.

"You have to be my friend!"

"...Ufufufu...I promise."

"Hey, are you sure we've never met before? You're really familiar to me for some reason..."

After leaving the train, she took him to a nearby alleyway in a more secluded part of the district. It wasn't very far from where she had seen him walking late last night, and hoped that she wasn't too close to "Red-Haired"'s property.

"Alright. Now, you're going to have to pay close attention if you want to learn anything from me."

"Alright!"

She took her hand and made her pointer and middle finger stick out while closing the other fingers.

"This is called the "Finger Bullet"."

"Finger Bullet? Are you going to shoot your fingers out like a robot?!" Eyes shining, he watched her approach a wall.

He was only a little disappointed when she stabbed the wall instead, making a neat hole in the wall.

"...No. It's...a technique where one is able to turn their body into a weapon. The finger bullet would normally take years to perfect, but I think you should be able to perform it nicely."

"Wait, why would you think I can do that?"

She paused, thinking of something that he would accept.

"...Intuition."

"Into-what? Well, if you believe in me, then maybe I can do it!"

He walked to her side and did the same thing he saw her do, except when he did it, cracks formed all over the wall and it appeared to almost be at a collapsing point.

The owner of the building ran outside to see what was going on, but after seeing the two scary figures outside, he figured it would be best to call Shanks for reparation and to remove the two freaks.

"Hm...that's pretty good, but you have to drive your fingers into it more. As you are, you're only punching the wall while stabbing it with your fingers.

"W-Woah...I didn't know I was this strong..."

He was even more surprised when she got behind him, holding his hands with hers.

"D-Don't touch me like that! You'll get..." But when she touched his hands, she didn't seem to be hurt. Instead, he felt her hands slide against his without much resistance.

"How are you..."

"It's another technique I have, but one I don't think I can teach you. Now, try it again, but I'll stop you before you go too far."

"Are you sure? I mean, look what I did to the wall."

Robin would have smiled if he could see it.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Hesitating, he brought his hand back and prepared to do it again.

Robin was pleased that he obeyed so willingly, and she also noted that down for future experimentation.

"Boss...I found Luffy."

"Really?! Where is he?! He's late...!"

"Heh, I thought you were fine with him getting space."

"There's a limit to that! How's he doing?!" Shanks sounded more worried than usual, and Yasopp could only think that his calm facade yesterday had only been for show.

"He's...well, that Robin is with him."

"What?" His tone turned serious, "What are they doing? If you need to put a stop to it, do it."

"Um...it looks like...she's violating him."

Shanks went silent on the other side.

"Excuse me?"

"She's hugging his back and they're doing something to someone's wall."

"Oh...uh...well..."

"Boss...? You want me to stop them?"

"I mean, I'd like you to stop them, but I don't know if you should. I mean, we all have our needs, right? And apparently, they're, ahem, in the middle of something at the moment."

"Yeah...it looks like they're practicing Rokushiki techniques."

"Wait, what? I thought you said they were doing "something" to someone's wall?"

"Oh, no! I meant that they were practicing Rokushiki techniques on someone's wall."

"...You intentionally did that to me, didn't you?"

"Heh, maybe?"

"Gah...! Just keep an eye on them, would you?!"

"Will do, Boss." He hung up the phone and continued to point his rifle at Robin's head.

Hopefully, he wouldn't need to pull the trigger, but they still didn't know if she was a threat to Luffy.

A few attempts later, and Luffy performed the Finger Bullet perfectly. It helped that he was made of rubber so he didn't have to worry about breaking his fingers.

"Oh! That's so cool! Look, I can make holes!" He did it a few more times, cratering the wall.

"Yes, it's good that you learned this first. Finger strength is important for what I'll teach you later..."

"You're going to teach me something else?! What is it?!"

"Um...!" Cursing internally, she had forgotten that she wasn't "Robin" at the moment, but Raven, "I-I've got something else to teach you! It's called, "Shaving"!"

"Shaving? But, Robin cuts my hair. I don't grow beard hair either for some reason..."

"It has another name, "Soru", if you prefer that."

"Hm..." He mulled it over a few times, "That does sound cooler...yeah! I want to learn it!"

"Okay, though I feel you'll need to experience it first before I can teach it." At that, she hugged Luffy tight to her body.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"This technique propels the user at great speeds, but one has to be able to see where they're going, or else they're going to slam into a wall."

She kicked the ground multiple times, sending the two flying down the alleyway, but before they hit the wall, she kicked the air, sending them flying upwards.

Robin let them stay still for a while, thinking that Luffy couldn't follow the speeds they were moving at.

"Um...didn't you kick the ground a lot? Why didn't you let me do it?"

"Huh? You saw?"

"Yeah." They fell to the ground, and she landed without much effort, managing to control the fall so that she didn't harm the ground, "I saw you kick the ground. Then I saw you kick...the air?! That was so cool!"

"Hm...maybe you're stronger than I thought, Luffy..." He started laughing, confusing her.

"What is it?"

"That's the first time you said my name, Raven! I thought you forgot it or something!"

"Really...you're easily amused, aren't you?" She giggled a little.

"Yeah! You're a really cool guy, Raven!"

She froze, staring at him in shock.

"Guy?" Robin asked, trying to clarify what he had said.

"Yeah! Thanks for showing me! I think I have to go now, or else I'll be late!"

He turned to leave, but had to stop due to a hand being placed on his shoulder. He freaked out since it kinda hurt him.

"Hey-! Raven! What are you-?!"

"Oh no...your training isn't over yet..." He looked at her eyes and saw a violent glint in them.

"Wait...what?!" She pulled him closer, hugging him and lifting him off the ground, "I really have to go!"

"Here's the next move. It's called...Tekkai."

His screams echoed throughout the alleyway and into the city, causing many who heard it to flinch in fear.

Yasopp started to sweat at what he was seeing, but couldn't tell why Luffy was screaming. He had said something to her, and she turned violent.

His finger twitched, but he wouldn't fire yet. From experience, he knew there were some things you should never say to a woman, and knowing Luffy's personality, he was lucky enough to say the worst thing.

His phone started ringing, and he knew it was Shanks. Now he had to explain that Luffy wasn't dying, but he had brought the pain onto himself.

"Ouch..." Luffy whined, finally being released from the woman's death grip, "How'd you do that? I thought I wasn't able to feel much pain anymore..." He slumped over, his head hitting the ground.

"There are many things you don't know about this world, Luffy." Robin exclaimed, still upset that Luffy had thought she was a man, "Your "curse" only does so much to protect you. There are still forces in this world capable of harming you."

"Hey...I don't think I told you that I was "cursed"."

"It's not exactly hard to figure out. Your reluctance to be touched, your surprise at your own strength...and I'm "cursed" as well."

"Eh?" At this, Luffy rose his head up in excitement, staring at her with shining eyes, "You...you mean you're like me?!"

"Yes. I am."

"D-Does it really get better?! I mean, I've been unable to touch anyone...except you! Will I be like this forever?!"

It hurt her to see such expectant eyes, but he didn't understand something.

"All "curses" are different. We "cursed ones" all go through different experiences, so I wouldn't be able to help you with yours."

"Oh..." His eyes, losing most of their excitement, returned to the ground.

"...But it does get better." He started to stand up, "All you have to do is remember that you're still you. Being "cursed" doesn't mean a thing unless you want it to."

"Heh...someone else told me something like that too..."

"She must be a very intelligent woman. Perhaps you should treat her to something later to show your appreciation. Maybe a back massage. Or show her what I taught you today."

"Yeah...you're right! Thanks, Raven!" Rubbing his shoulders, he ran out of the alleyway, "Thanks for teaching me some things! I'll try to remember the finger bullet, soru, and..." He shuddered, "...tekkai."

"Remember the finger bullet! That's very important!" She yelled after him, hoping he would remember.

"Eh? Why is it so important?!" Luffy was getting much farther away, and had to yell.

"Specifics are unimportant! I need you to remember!"

"...Alright! Later!"

"Goodbye, Luffy!"

As he turned the corner, she also turned to look at a tower in the distance.

"You shouldn't point something that dangerous at a lady..."

Yasopp was surprised that she looked right at him, but was even more surprised when she appeared next to him in under a second.

"How in the-?!"

"I believe it's rude to kill someone from that distance." She held him down, and he struggled helplessly, "I prefer to be at least this close when I take a life. Give me a reason why I should abstain from doing so now."

"I won't beg for my life! If you're going to kill me, then do it!"

He was surprised when she kicked him in the face and let him go.

"Don't treat your life so carelessly. I won't kill you because it might upset Luffy."

Yasopp coughed as she started to walk away, but he grabbed onto her cloak.

"Wait! I won't let you use Luffy for whatever you're scheming!"

"Use?!" She kicked his hand away, "I'm not using him! How dare you suggest such a thing!"

"Then what do you call that?!" He pointed at the destroyed wall, "Are you trying to turn him against us?! Are you using his innocence to get information about us?! The boy has too much compassion, and I won't let you abuse that good will!"

He tried to take a pistol out to shoot her, but something caused it to fly out of his hands and an unknown force kept him down on the floor.

"...I am not your enemy. If anything, I am your greatest ally in what is about to come..."

"What?! What are you talking about?!"

"...The government knows where "Red-Haired"'s friends stay. It's name was...the Going Merry, I believe?" Yasopp paled, "They also know about their young friend in school. There are already plans being put into motion to take care of-"

"Tell me!" She was surprised when he broke free from her grasp, and had put a gun to her head, "When are they going to attack Usopp?!"

"Usopp, you say? That's one of Luffy's friends, right?" She chuckled, "I think they plan on attacking him today. If you hurry, I'm sure you can save him and his girlfriend, Kaya."

His eyes were wild and the gun in his grip was shaking.

"Why...?" He wanted to kill her, but she could have easily kept the information from him, "Why are you bothering us?! Does the government want to start a war!?"

"I won't lie. They've been looking for a reason to start one with you, but I'm trying my best to avoid that."

"And what would you gain from stopping it?! Aren't you their greatest dog?!"

He could tell the words stung deep as she glared at him from behind the mask.

"...Luffy would be greatly devastated by the boy's death, wouldn't he? Shouldn't you be rushing to save him?"

His breathing increased and she could feel the killing intent leaking from his eyes.

"God...!" He holstered the pistol, ran by her, and picked up the rifle, "...damn it!"

She could see him taking a cell phone out as he jumped as fast as he could to the train station. It was quite the distance between the South-Eastern District and Central, but she was sure he would make it in time.

It wasn't a lie that there was a hit out on young Usopp, but he wasn't considered a threat. Only as potential hostage material. The genius sniper, Yasopp, could surely take care of the lurking government agents and make sure that the boy would survive.

"I won't let you use Luffy for whatever you're scheming!"

The very thought wounded her. Use Luffy for her own needs? That was impossible.

Deep down in her heart, the words reverberated over and over again. Was she using him?

Did she only care about what she could get out of him?

Gasping, she knelt down and took off her mask. It was suffocating her and her sweat was uncomfortable.

She was doing this for him! How could she be the one who benefited the most?!

The fruit dropped into the bag, the two purple ones contrasting against the normal fruit.

Hopefully he would find the bag and eat the right one.

Robin shook her head and put her mask back on, standing tall even though she felt so small.

She could remind herself that she was doing this for him, but that dark, evil thought that she was using him hurt.

Would he want to stay with her after all of this was over?

She was afraid. Afraid that he would find out how much of a monster she really was.

And then her light would leave her life and there would be no point in living. If he chose that path, then she would still make sure he would survive the storm.

Even if he were to hate her later on, her heart would always be his.

"Hm? Wait a second...I didn't tell Raven about Robin telling me about the curse...eh. Whatever! I hope Robin thinks my techniques are cool!"

Luffy arrived after he had run so fast to make it on time. He didn't know that he was more than a few hours late.

He entered the room, shouting his greetings and saw that the whole gang was there. Shanks, Benn, and even Lucky were here with his crew.

"Luffy, we need to talk."

"Eh? About what? I swear, it was an accident that I was late! I met a new friend on the way here, and-"

"It's about that friend, Luffy." Shanks motioned for him to sit.

"You know Raven? That's so cool! I wanted to introduce him to you all later!" The rubberman took the seat, grinning at his confused friends.

"I swear, Yasopp said that Luffy was getting hurt for some reason. I think I guess why now." Benn muttered aloud.

"Yasopp? Who's that?" Nami spoke up. The name sounded so much like Usopp, but he was at school, and he said he didn't have a father.

"U-Uh...nothing! Nothing, Nami! Don't worry about it!" Shanks glared daggers at Benn, who had been too focused on Luffy's situation.

"You know why he hurt me? Jeez, I don't know why he got so angry..."

"You are so dense, it's funny, Luffy. "Raven" is a girl."

"EH!?" He tried to stand up, but Shanks had anticipated his surprise and had put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"And...Raven is actually Robin."

It took a second, but Luffy started laughing.

"Shishishi! That's so funny, Shanks! Are you sure you're not the dense one?"

"I swear, being called dense as you are right now is really insulting."

Luffy then saw that no one was laughing with him. In fact, everyone looked serious.

"H-Hey, what's going on? Are we going to talk about my curse? Robin told me I should talk to you all about it."

Sanji didn't ask what he meant by curse. He had already been informed by the others what had happened. He had the extreme desire to talk at length with Luffy about his secret girlfriend, but the others had told him to stay quiet for the moment.

"We're going to talk about Robin, Luffy."

"That was supposed to be a secret! Why are you spreading it around to everyone!"

"It's because...she's part of the government, Luffy."

"W-What...?"

"She's the enemy, Luffy, and it's possible that she's been fooling you this entire time."

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

Ended it like that because I'm kinda tired trying to think about this chapter. I might have to take a short break and work on some of my other fics. I actually have an idea about another one, but I'll detail that in the newer chapter of "A Different Take" (which would probably updated in a week after I shuffle through the chapters)