CHAPTER 54

Robin stared into Psycho's eyes. Her eyes were filled with anxiety and his, cool, calm, and collected. She breathed heavily enough to calm herself down, but soft enough for Psycho not to notice it. Psycho's head rest in his hands as he waited for Robin to speak.

"This is what I wanted right? He's right here in front of me and yet… I can't force out a question! What do I do? Do I just…" Robin was stopped in her thoughts by Psycho.

"Nico Robin!" Psycho yelled.

Robin straightened up.

"Y…Yes?" Robin asked.

"Surely you weren't just snooping around and eavesdropping on our conversations to get the jump on us when you reunited with your friends were you? That's the reason I believe you'd have a reason to be outside my office." Psycho said.

"No, I! - "Robin was stopped.

"Or, something's on your mind, and you wish to speak to me about it." Psycho said.

Robin looked down to the side.

"Yes… there has been some things on my mind, well… a lot of things actually." Robin said softly.

Psycho was mildly surprised.

"Concerning?" Psycho asked.

"You…" Robin said.

Psycho's eyes widened a little upon hearing this.

"Me, huh?" Psycho said with a small smile and holding up a three with his fingers.

Robin was confused.

"Three questions. I'll give you three questions to ask me." Psycho said.

Robin became slightly agitated.

"What am I supposed to do with three questions?" Robin asked.

Psycho smiled.

"If you're smart with them, you can get a lot out of me. I promise I'll answer all of them with great detail." Psycho said.

Robin calmed down a little.

"I guess that works…" Robin said.

"I'll be waiting." Psycho said, his chin still in his hands.

Robin calmly breathed in and out.

"Three questions… out of everything I want to know. What do I ask him?" Robin thought to herself.

Psycho continued to stare at Robin, waiting on a question. Robin examined him and noticed something surprising, Psycho was sweating. It was hardly noticeable but there were balls of sweat forming on his face.

"He's nervous! Could he really be worried about what I might ask him?..." Robin thought.

Psycho continued to stare.

"Um…" Robin said.

Psycho squinted.

"I've only got three questions. I need to be smart with this… I think I know what I want to ask him first." Robin thought.

Robin sat up; Psycho noticed this.

"Ready, are you?" Psycho asked.

Robin nodded.

"How are you so young even though you're hundreds of years old?" Robin asked.

Psycho smirked. Robin sat nervously.

"That's a good question, Nico Robin." Psycho said.

Robin put up a fake smile.

"Well, it's honestly really simple. There's a member in DEATH that most don't see, her name, is Kataka "The Crypt Keeper." Psycho said.

Robin flinched. She had heard that name at Sakura Kingdom through Sabo.

"Kataka? "The Crypt Keeper?" Robin asked.

Psycho sat back.

"She ate the Reaper Reaper Fruit and became a grim reaper human almost 500 years ago." Psycho said.

Robin's eyes shot open.

"Reaper Reaper Fruit? 500 years ago?" Robin asked.

Psycho held up a hand.

"Please, be silent until I'm done speaking." Psycho said.

Robin gulped and nodded. Psycho sat back, crossed his arms, and looked up.

"Let's see… where was I?... Oh yes, she ate that fruit around 500 years ago… I met her about 150 years after her consumption of the fruit, after she had made a name for herself. She was a young girl infatuated with dead things. Dead people, animals, etc. Eventually the townspeople accused her of being a witch and killed her, quite brutally if I do say so myself." Psycho explained.

Robin stared on with intrigue.

"Not only did the fruit bring her back to life… it turned her into a 25ft tall monster. The fruit's main ability is to use the users face to scare people. If you're scared of her face you'll automatically be added to her collection of the dead." Psycho explained.

"So, kind of like Moria's fruit?" Robin asked.

"In a way." Psycho confirmed, "But you see, she keeps the bodies in such a good condition it's like they're still in their primes. She can bring out these bodies whenever she chooses to fight for her." Psycho said.

"I see. But what does this have to do with your youth?" Robin asked.

Psycho smiled.

"I'll answer two questions in one, since it's you." Psycho said.

Robin was surprised.

"I can thank Kataka for both half my immortality and my eternal youth." Psycho said.

Robin was shocked.

"How?!" Robin asked.

Psycho smirked.

"You see Kataka can't leave the cave she resides in because of an obvious weakness. So, she gains her collection from other people bringing her bodies. If you bring her a body… she'll grant you a wish." Psycho said.

Robin was appalled.

"How… how is that possible!?" Robin asked.

Psycho shrugged.

"I don't know to be honest, but as you can see, it works. In fact, these three names on these scrolls, are all people I've brought to Kataka in the past." Psycho said.

Robin looked down at the scrolls.

FUYU, KORUK, KAYA

"People you… knew in the past…" Robin said.

"But I think that answers your question. Regarding my immortality and eternal youth." Psycho said.

Robin was shook, but she calmed down.

"O…Okay." Robin said softly.

Psycho stared.

"Anything else?" Psycho asked.

Robin straightened up.

"We all had a talk about you the other night… The Straw Hats and the ninja. About how we all met you at some point in our lives… I've been wondering since that night… what went through your mind… when you saw us all the other day? At Arlong Park 2.0?" Robin asked.

Psycho was surprised at this one.

"What went through my mind huh?" Psycho asked.

Robin stared ahead.

"Well, I was certainly surprised. Not so much so because I knew you all but because you were all together the way you were." Psycho confessed.

"Huh? I don't understand." Robin said.

"When I met most of you, you were all just little kids. Aside from Brook, Naruto, and Sasuke. Even still, I never expected you all to be one big group. It's truly amazing to see how that all worked out. The same kids I had met in my travels all showing up to take me down... it was a surprise truly, but honestly there's not much more to it than that." Psycho said.

Robin nodded.

"So that's why you gave Naruto and Luffy so many chances to just walk away?" Robin asked.

Psycho nodded.

"Yes. This is grown man business and neither of them have any business interfering, but I guess I shouldn't have assumed they'd just walk away from the same man who tried to kill their friend, that princess." Psycho said.

"Yeah… I understand now." Robin said.

Psycho smiled.

"One more question, Nico Robin." Psycho said.

Robin jumped.

"One more question… I know how he's still alive after all this time… and what he thought of seeing us all together, which was almost a waste of a question… but what should I ask him now?" Robin thought.

Psycho stared at Robin who had her head down and eyes closed in thought. After a few moments Robin looked up. Psycho picked up a cup of rum.

"What's the truth behind the ninja's being excluded from the rest of the world?" Robin asked.

Psycho almost spit out the rum he drank and looked at Robin. Robin stared with determination. Psycho smiled.

"So… the best for last I see." Psycho said.

Robin nodded.

"When we first met the ninja, they made several remarks about never stepping foot in these lands before… and then there was the treaty with Alabasta..." Robin said.

Psycho set down his rum and leaned forward.

"I see. I must warn you though, what I'm about to tell you involves the void century… I understand you wish to find this information yourself, right? Do you still want to hear the truth?" Psycho asked.

"Of course, I want to find that out for myself, but… when I finally see everyone again the information I learn right here and now will be critical! So… I'll have to sacrifice a piece of my dream for them." Robin thought.

Robin looked up and nodded.

"Go ahead." Robin said.

Before Psycho could answer, he was interrupted by Cyclone coming in.

"Sorry for interrupting, Psycho." Cyclone said.

Psycho smiled.

"Oh no, you're fine. What did you need?" Psycho asked.

"I just wanted to tell you I was going to go take care of that business in the North Blue." Cyclone said.

Psycho thought about it.

"Oh… that business… go on ahead. I expect you to execute it flawlessly and be back before the meeting tonight." Psycho said.

Cyclone nodded.

"Also, take Kaku with you." Psycho said.

Cyclone was a little confused.

"For what?" Cyclone asked.

"You remember our talk about the DEATH generals. I want to get an estimate on how much our training truly worked for them." Psycho said.

Cyclone nodded.

"Understood." Cyclone said, before vanishing.

Robin looked at where Cyclone was and then back over to Psycho.

"Alright, without further ado… I'll tell you what's really going on." Psycho said.

Robin gulped and nodded.

"800 years ago… a period that would become known as the Void Century… there was a war during that time between four powerful factions. The two that matter are the world government and the shinobi. The shinobi of that time were just that, no chakra, no special abilities, just ninja. They couldn't compete with the military strength the world government had, until one fateful day… when, in a ball of fire, a woman named Kaguya arrived. She blessed the people with chakra and gave them the ability to fight back." Psycho explained.

Robin listened carefully.

"The power these people gained from this aura called chakra… it was too much for the world government to handle. They didn't have an answer for the techniques the shinobi dished out, above all else though… there were three people in particular who were a real threat to the world government. Hamura, Hagoromo, and Kaguya. Their visual jutsu on top of their chakra killed hundreds of thousands of men. The world government didn't stand a chance. One day though… Kaguya planted a great tree… the tree of life is what she called it. Every now and again people would go and make "sacrifices" to this tree, but they would never return." Psycho said.

Robin began to sweat a little.

"Obviously once a certain number of people began to go missing questions started to get asked. One man in particular made the biggest fuss. Hagoromo." Psycho said.

"Hagoromo… you just said he was helping at first though right?" Robin asked.

Psycho puffed. Robin noticed this and kind of winced. Psycho began to squeeze his hands together and a small vein popped in his head.

"Ps… Psycho… are you okay?" Robin asked.

Psycho took a moment to breathe in and out. He held up a hand to let her know to give him a second. Robin stared at him nervously, not knowing if he was okay or not. Robin watched as Psycho slowly looked up, his eyes had tears running down them. Robin was in complete shock.

"That damn old lady… she made life hell for the people of that time…" Psycho said.

Robin looked at Psycho with remorse.

"Hagoromo went to the tree one day to investigate with his brother Hamura and… he found that the people who went to make sacrifices were wrapped in cocoons and slowly turned into plant, human hybrids called "white zetsu" basically Kaguya's plan to end the fighting was to turn everyone into the same exact thing… Hagoromo… found his love in one of the cocoons… dead." Psycho finished.

Robin covered her mouth.

"Her own son… DAMN!" Psycho yelled, slamming his fist down on his desk.

Robin jumped. Psycho began to shake and tremble. The tears fell even heavier now as he clawed at the desk with one hand and held his head with the other.

"Things only got worse from there. After Hagoromo and Hamura found out the truth they planned to kill Kaguya and of course… the world government got word of this." Psycho said.

Robin gulped, a hand on her chest.

"They said they'd stop the fighting on their end immediately if Hagoromo and Hamura fought together to kill Kaguya. Obviously being tired of the fighting, the brothers agreed and used their power to seal Kaguya into what would become the moon." Psycho said.

Robin gasped.

"After Hagoromo and Hamura defeated Kaguya they expected the fighting to stop but they were betrayed at the last second. The world government used the chaos from the family feud to their advantage and told the brother's that the fighting was far from over unless they agree to another deal…" Psycho said in an angry tone.

Robin was sweating, she looked down with disappointment.

"What was… the deal?" Robin asked.

Psycho grunted and tried with everything he had to hold in his anger.

"That every year the world government would do a draft to bring ninja over to these lands and fight in their army and the rest of the ninja had to be pushed to a remote section of the world to be forgotten for their "crimes." Psycho explained.

"The exclusion part is ridiculous! From what I've seen ninja are nice people and care about their friends!" Robin yelled.

Psycho looked to the side. Dried tears covered his face.

"That's all we ever cared about… that's why Hagoromo and Hamura agreed to such a ridiculous deal!" Psycho said.

"But the treaty that Vivi wanted to make with the Sand Village! That would've made things right, right?" Robin asked.

Psycho straightened up.

"That's right." Psycho said.

"So then why did DEATH try to take her life? Why did you interrupt the deal!?" Robin asked, "That deal would've helped the ninja world more than you know!"

"YOU CAN'T TELL A MAN WHO'S SEEN THE HORRORS OF THIS WORLD FOR CENTURIES WHAT HE WOULD AND WOULDN'T KNOW YOU FOOL!" Psycho yelled.

Robin rescinded a little.

"To hell with the Nerefiti family! They only went with what the world government demanded out of fear of what they'd do to them if they didn't. They became traitors to the world government. I'm sure Cobra is only making the treaty to help himself and not the hidden villages. They don't deserve that luxury for what this damn government has done to my people for centuries now!" Psycho yelled.

Robin was a little scared by his aggression.

"What has the world government been doing…" Robin asked.

Psycho stared at Robin with cold eyes.

"As I said… they draft ninja against their wills every other year, but that's not it. If a ninja refuses to fight for the world government…" Psycho paused.

Robin anxiously waited for an answer.

"They imprison, torture, and kill every ninja who refuses… as payback for what happened in the 100 year war. The world government erased any and all evidence that their greatest embarrassment ever happened… that they had to make a deal with their own enemies just to "win" in a sense." Psycho explained, "That's why I tried to kill Vivi and stop the treaty, because they don't deserve to have an alliance with the shinobi of the ninja world, especially if it's just to use their strength." Psycho said.

Robin chuckled.

"So, that's why… you're doing all this?..." Robin asked rhetorically, Psycho knew this though, so he kept quiet.

"THAT'S WHY YOU KILLED 9 MILLION PEOPLE AND MAYBE MILLIONS MORE TO RULE THIS WORLD!? YOU'RE NOT ANY BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN HURTING THE SHINOBI! SURELY YOU COULD'VE FOUND SOMETHING ELSE TO HAVE DONE OTHER THAN THIS!?" Robin screamed, "I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENED! I CAN'T RESPECT YOU OR YOUR AMBITIONS! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE MY FATHER OR NOT!"

Robin huffed and puffed as Psycho's expression was hidden by shadow. All that could be seen was a slight frown. Robin stood tall and looked at Psycho.

"I understand, Nico Robin." Psycho said softly.

Robin winced.

"You can't respect my ambitions because of all the things I've done after starting my goal for justice? Is that right?" Psycho asked.

Robin nodded.

"That's right." Robin said.

Psycho smirked.

"But… you trust the Leaf don't you? And they've spilled more blood than any village I've ever seen." Psycho said.

Robin was filled with shock.

"They've spilled… more blood than anyone? No way! You're just trying to turn me against them!" Robin said.

"And what would I gain from that, Nico Robin? Once you reunite with them you'll team with them anyway so why would I lie? The fact of the matter is their hands are bloodier than even mine." Psycho said.

"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO SAY THA-

"BECAUSE THEY KILLED THE FIRST WOMAN I EVER LOVED IN COLD BLOOD!" Psycho yelled, shaking the building.

Robin calmed down immediately.

"The first woman you loved?" Robin asked softly.

Psycho had one arm stretched across his desk and one hand on his lap. His head down. He could be seen breathing in and out incredibly hard.

"Before I met your mother… there was a woman that I loved with everything in my being. At this point I had already been alive for centuries and as a matter of fact… this was only a mere 35 years ago. So just about five years before you were born." Psycho said softly.

Robin was full of questions now. Even more than before.

"Kaya Otsusuki." Psycho said.

Robin glanced down at the scroll on the table. Psycho did too.

"Yes. If you're wondering, that's her." Psycho said.

Robin was filled with shock.

"She was beautiful… soft skin and such a baby face. Her beautiful ice white eyes were complimented by her long smooth white hair. She was the most beautiful shinobi of her time." Psycho said.

Robin just listened to Psycho speak.

"During the second great ninja war… the Leaf were sent out to kill anyone connected to the Otsusuki name… I killed 400 soldiers in what would become known as the Battle of the Mourning Woods… that's how I got my nickname "Psycho." Psycho said, "That's why the ninja world must suffer as well… both the world government and shinobi have sins far greater than either will admit."

Robin slowly walked over to Psycho.

"But please Robin… don't think I'm the bad guy here… any thought I've had about not going down this road diminished the longer I've lived in this damned world! Humans will NEVER understand one another and will always try to get the better of others… instead of trying to better the others…" Psycho put his hands to his face to stop his tears again.

"Kaya… Olivia… I'm so sorry… I'm trying so hard to fix this world…" Psycho said, tears falling.

Suddenly Psycho felt a warm hand on his cheek and his head be softly pressed against the body of someone. He stared forward with shock as Robin held his head against her body. He looked up to see her eyes closed tightly, tears leaving her eyes too.

"It's okay… father… I forgive you." Robin said.