Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
Everyone watched with some measure of agitation as Luffy moped about the tree house, brushing his hand against the wooden walls and sighing occasionally. Vivi was confused as to why the usually bouncy teen was brooding, and she was worried about him. She glanced at the others and saw that—while upset about their friend's depressed demeanor—they didn't seem all too surprised.
"What's wrong with him?" she asked Zoro.
Luffy stopped walking around. He let himself down heavily and sat on the floor, staring blankly at the opposite wall.
Zoro, who was resting against the wood, peeked at her from one eye. He closed it and let out a sigh. "We don't know. He does this sometimes, but we never know why. It's normal by now." At her silence, he let out an exasperated breath and sat up. He looked her firmly in the eyes. "Don't worry about it. He'll be bouncing off the walls again in no time."
With a doubtful nod, Vivi went to sit by Nami and Sanji. Everyone was silent, observing Luffy carefully. The only sounds made were their restless shuffling and the boy's occasional sigh. Luffy's eyes seemed distant; he was in a world all on his own. They sat there for what Vivi felt was hours, although it was probably only a few minutes. She was almost falling asleep. Her head was resting against Sanji's shoulder—much to his delight. She very nearly nodded off, until a loud shout startled her from her drowsy state.
"I'm hungry! Let's go eat!"
The princess looked up to see Luffy poking Zoro roughly in the forehead, impatiently whining for food. She gaped. Just minutes ago the boy looked near suicidal, and now he was up and already asking for food. The abrupt change left her dazed and immobile. The swordsman grabbed Luffy's hand and pulled it away from his face. He growled in irritation but deflated when he saw the lanky teen grinning brightly at him—back to normal, excitable Luffy.
Zoro stood up and stretched his arms, yawning loudly. He allowed Luffy to drag him to the tree house's exit, and followed the hopeless glutton down the ladder, giving Vivi a pointed look. Vivi smiled. She should've known better than to doubt Zoro's knowledge when it came to Luffy. She went down the ladder as well and fell into step beside the pair. Usopp, Sanji, and Nami soon followed.
They arrived at the cafeteria in a joyful mood. Zoro and Sanji were arguing again, and Luffy was laughing at the two. Nami was shouting at them to quiet down. Usopp merely looked on and chuckled at their furious expressions. The other patients didn't even look up at the noise. They were, by then, all too accustomed to the group's rambunctious actions.
After receiving their plates from Thatch, they made their way to their usual table. However, much to their shock, someone was already there. A black-haired woman was sitting, one leg crossed daintily over the other, calmly sipping from a mug. She looked up at their arrival, giving them a mysterious smile.
Vivi reeled in surprise. This woman….no, she couldn't be here. They weren't supposed to know where she was!
"Ms. Nico?!" she asked incredulously.
The others looked at her. "You know her?" Usopp inquired.
Yes, Vivi knew her. Nico Robin was Crocodile's highest ranking assistant. Whenever Crocodile was giving speeches, rallying the people to his side, Robin would be right beside him. The woman would be looking attentively at the people in the crowd, eyes scanning thoroughly—bordering on paranoid— with an ever-present smile on her face. She had met the woman before, in the streets. Vivi had left the castle to attempt and speak with the people and find their true opinion on the whole rebellion situation. The princess ran into Nico Robin, who was walking down the street in the opposite direction—towards the castle.
Vivi had immediately recognized her. She backed away warily, but the woman only smiled and continued on her way. That smile spooked her.
After that time, she never expected to meet the woman again, let alone in a safe place like the Going Merry. What on earth was she doing here? Was Robin going to kill her? Did Crocodile send her to eliminate the true heir to the throne?
Robin stood and smiled at Vivi. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Princess Vivi." The woman turned to Luffy and stuck her hand out to him. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nico Robin. I was just recently admitted here and I hope I'll be welcomed here." Robin gave a small smile, and to anyone else it would have looked genuine, but Vivi knew better. This woman was a snake, a deceptive creature that would fool you into a false sense of security, then strike.
The others looked wary, most likely bewildered by her demeanor. Luffy, however, was entirely fooled. He joyfully shook her hand and introduced himself. "Hi! I'm Luffy, and these are my friends. Zoro is the one with the cool green hair, and Nami is the girl with the orange hair. Sanji has the cool eyebrows and Usopp is the guy with the long nose. You already know Vivi, right? How do you know her?"
The woman nodded, unperturbed by Luffy's rapid-fire manner of speaking. "We've met. We're from the same country."
Luffy grinned. "That's cool! Do you wanna sit with us?"
Vivi tried to protest, but Robin agreed before she could say anything. The princess scowled. Robin knew Vivi wouldn't be able to start anything here, and took full advantage of it.
Lunch passed in an awkward atmosphere. Vivi kept glaring at Robin, before turning her frown to her meal, and back again. Sanji was swooning—as always—over the beautifully dark lady. Zoro was insulting him under his breath while also glancing at Robin suspiciously, and Nami seemed wary of her as well. Usopp was sitting as far away as possible from the new arrival. He wasn't shaking, at least, which was an improvement.
Luffy was oblivious to the tense atmosphere. He chatted on happily, glad to have another friend. Vivi could see Zoro frowning at this. She guessed that, like her, Zoro was suspicious that the secretive woman would take advantage of the naïve boy. Vivi had no doubt that the swordsman had noticed Vivi's glares, and assumed that the new woman was a threat. Good. She'd need all the allies she could get.
Vivi looked back at Robin firmly, although she was shaking on the inside. "What do you want with me, Nico Robin?"
Robin laughed softly. It sounded hollow. "What makes you think I came here for you?"
"Why else would you have come here?" Vivi pointed out.
With a nod, Robin replied, "You are correct. But don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. Crocodile merely wished for me to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don't try anything." The corners of Robin's lips twitched upwards, and her eyes shined with amusement. "Babysit, if you will."
Vivi resisted the urge to laugh. It seemed that Crocodile considered her a threat. "And what could I possibly do?"
Robin shrugged slightly. "He is suspicious that you will attempt to gather information—evidence that could topple him from his new throne."
Vivi paused at that. She hadn't even considered the option of helping her country from this far away. She felt ashamed, but at the same time, elated. Unthinkingly, Robin had given her an idea to regain her country. With Igaram's help, she could prove to her people that Crocodile wasn't a hero; he was a power-hungry bastard.
Robin looked at her, amused. The girl would try to do exactly as Robin had subtly suggested. She'd poke around and find sufficient evidence to incarcerate Crocodile. One would think that Robin would be more cautious about this, but she honestly couldn't care less. She was tired of Crocodile's arrogance. It was high time she find someone else.
The princess looked at Robin one last time before giving her a nod and taking her leave. She'd found what she wanted to know. Robin wasn't going to kill her.
She walked to Igaram's room and knocked. He was there, thankfully, and opened the door for her. She entered, and they sat together on his bed. She told him everything—Nico Robin's arrival, Crocodile's suspicions, and her newly-formed plan. It took some persuasion to convince Igaram, but he eventually gave in and agreed that her idea could work.
Vivi was on good terms with Kidd, and she could probably convince the man to allow her onto a computer to do research. She'd need to be secretive about it; Robin could not find out. Vivi decided to keep it from her new friends as well. Luffy couldn't keep a secret to save his life, and she was doubtful that he would even want to, considering the fact that the boy had made fast friends with Nico Robin. If she told the others, there was a possibility that they would tell Luffy.
No, she'd have to do this by herself.
"Ace?" Luffy whispered into the darkness. It was after curfew, and everyone was in bed. Luffy lay in between his brothers, buried comfortably in his blankets. "I met a woman today. She's a new patient. Her name's Robin, and she's really cool!"
He shifted. "She reminds me of you, though, of when we were younger. You always looked really sad, like you had too much of a burden to hold…but you covered it with anger. Robin's like that. She looks tired and sad, but she disguises it with empty smiles." Luffy briefly wondered when he'd become so insightful. "I wanna make it go away, Ace. No one should be that sad."
…
Luffy laughed. He felt reassured that Ace believed he could do it—that he could make Robin happy. He chuckled softly when Sabo told them to shut up and sleep. He rolled over and snuggled into Ace's back. If Ace could become happy, then Robin could too. He'd make sure of it.
A lot of you expected Chopper to be next, but ta da! Robin! ^^
If you're wondering why I didn't make Vivi call Robin by her alias, Ms. All-Sunday, then I have a reason for that. Unlike in canon, Crocodile didn't take over Alabasta from behind the scenes. In this story, he campaigned out in the open, convincing people that he should be king. His employees didn't need to be kept secret either, so they didn't need aliases. Everyone knew of Nico Robin and the others.
To my guest reviewer, bell, thank you! I'm glad you liked it! :3
Thanks again everyone, for all your support. I hope you liked the chapter!
-Spoons