Chapter Four

When Yuki was walking around the building for exercise, she met Robin again. As if Robin had something she wanted to tell Yuki, she motioned for the tall girl to come over. When she saw that motion, Yuki knew that there was no escape.

"Hello, Robin," she greeted, smiling slightly. "What is it?"

"Can you tell me your name now? I wish to know it so that I may call out to you on the mission. I've been added to your team. Sabo came and greeted me yesterday, so I already know him," Robin replied happily.

Yuki let out a long sigh and rubbed her temples. "How do I explain, when you'll know who I am almost immediately? Let me explain," she said, and then changed her mind. "No, let me sum up, there's too much to explain."

"You know me, though we've never met. I was a pirate for a long time, and now I'm laying low. I was dead for a few days, and then revived by someone. I can't tell you who. With me so far?" Yuki said, pausing briefly for Robin to soak it in.

"Yes, you are a pirate with a bounty, I know you, and you were dead." Robin thought that it was like Brook, their nakama skeleton.

"Yeah. And no, I'm not like Brook. I've eaten a Devil's Fruit before, but it was a zoan type and allowed me to turn into an animal," Yuki said, expecting those thoughts. "I was revived by a person, and I have certain people who would suffer if I let them know I am alive now. Do you understand the pain that someone could go through because of this?"

Robin nodded slowly, comprehending the complexity of her situation. "And I was one of the people connected to those who would suffer?" she asked, guessing Luffy, who had recently lost a sister.

Yuki sighed and confirmed it. "Yes. I'm am 'Red Snow' Yuki, sworn sister to Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. Ace and Luffy don't know I'm alive, and I'm not planning to let them know. You understand, so I can tell you. Shanks and Vice-Admiral Garp are the two others whom I'm absolutely certain would suffer more if they knew I was alive."

Robin smiled at her new friend, and reassured her. "I promise I won't tell. I know how you're thinking, and I agree. I don't want to put Luffy through any more pain than he has already been through."

"Thank you. You think we can be friends?" Yuki asked.

Robin laughed, but it wasn't harshly. "I already thought of you as a friend, since that argument where you helped me out. Now I know who you are and have no problems with you. I'm used to these things happening around me."

Relieved, Yuki leaned back against the wall they were standing by. "I see a possible ally out of you, Robin. I need to help Luffy's crew somehow, but I wasn't going to be able to contact them. It would've been so much trouble without inside help."

"Oh, so that's what you were planning to do," Robin replied, realizing Yuki's intention to assist Luffy and the others in any way possible. "You want to help us out, right? What do you think you want to do, mainly?"

"I just want to see them smile. Ace, Luffy, and their nakama. Little things, like extra meat for Ace and Luffy, and good selections of food for their crew's cooks. Also, Luffy wears out his clothing quickly. I can get new ones made at regular intervals, as long as I can find fabric and some sewing materials."

"If you want, I can teach you about archeology," Robin offered. The idea occurred to Yuki before, but she didn't have time earlier. "I know I may not look it, but I have been researching into that time since I was little."

"It might be nice... I think I'd like that," Yuki replied cheerfully. "Alright, I've gotta go back to my room. I'll speak to you later, then."

Ace didn't waste any time looking for the Red Hair pirates. He went back to his own nakama and asked Marco where they were likely to be. Since Marco had been with the Whitebeard pirates much longer than Ace had, Ace assumed that he knew those sorts of things, since Shanks and Whitebeard had been both friends and enemies.

Marco looked confused, but responded to Ace's question. "I'm not sure, because those pirates move around so much, but they should be on this island in the New World," he said, pointing at an island on a map. "I think it's a summer island, but there's a town that's friendly, and you can get some food there."

Ace nodded gratefully, and sat down for a minute. "Thanks, Marco."

Marco looked carefully at his friend, trying to figure out what was bothering him. He didn't know what had happened, but something was definitely bothering him. "Why do you want to see the Red Hair pirates?"

"Yuki's katana is missing, and I need information on it. I don't think they took it, but they're the ones who are most likely to know about it. Shanks is a swordsman, both from what I've seen and what Luffy's told me," Ace explained.

Little licks of flame were coming out from his shoulders and head, and Marco was surprised. He hadn't seen this happen before, but it must mean that he was really upset, in some way or another.

"Ace, be careful with that fire of yours. It's coming out, and I'm sure you don't want to burn down the ship," Marco called as Ace walked away. He looked back at Marco, surprise on his face, but then took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Thanks, Marco."

Yuki stared up at the ceiling again, lying on her soft, warm bed. She had done a lot of thinking recently, and found that she missed everyone more than she cared to admit. Her crew was probably getting along fine without her, but still, she missed them.

Sabo and Robin were the only people on the island whom she considered friends, even though she had plenty of acquaintances. It was nice having polite conversation about your background when she hadn't died. After, not so much.

Everyone was curious to know what the afterlife was like. Yuki hated to disappoint them all, but she had forgotten. All she could remember was dying and then waking up in the middle of the night and digging her way through the dirt.

She was thankful that they had dug a shallow grave, because that made it easier to get out of. Yuki was still fuzzy on what she had done until morning, because it didn't seem like she would do anything other than sleep. She had been very tired after.

Pulling herself out of the window, she discovered that it was sunny outside, and it hadn't been an hour ago, when she was talking to Robin. Wondering about the changes in the weather, she went back into her thoughts.

Then there was a knock on her door, and it wasn't Sabo's knock. She was curious, and so she got up and wandered over and opened it. Outside was a person she hadn't expected to see so soon.

Robin had a note addressed to her. It was from Dragon.

"We have our first mission," she said.