Raised by Aunt Myself

Summary: In canon, Robin basically had to raise herself after her mother left. Even more so after Ohara burned. So when given the chance thirty years later, she raises herself… and maybe a few others.

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Suddenly finding oneself three decades in the past was a peculiar experience, even for Nico Robin, Archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates and the most wanted woman in the world (first place had gone to Luffy's persistent suitor, Boa Hancock, until Robin learned the true history of the world). Though she supposed it would be more accurate to say she used to be the most wanted woman in the world. If the newspaper she was reading was accurate, and she was skilled enough at spotting clues to know it was both legitimate and recent, then she was currently around six years before she received her first bounty. Not to mention she was currently in Paradise, quite a ways from Ohara. The ravenette found herself overcome with nostalgia when thinking of her first home. Though she had spent the last year and a half rebuilding the ancient library with help from her first friend, it wasn't the same as before the Buster Call. "Maybe I should pay a visit," She mused. It wasn't like there was much else she could do right now. Well, there was one thing.

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Though she didn't need to hide her identity, old habits die hard, and Robin had a whole lifetime of that particular habit to fall back on. Under a false name and wearing a disguise, including using her Devil Fruit to make herself appear to be a Long Arm Tribe member, she entered the local marine base. Dragged behind her was an infamous pirate, Captain Everything. He wasn't someone she had heard of in her first life, but he was worth 66.4 million and she would need the money for her plans. Once he was taken away and she was given her payment, one of the marines on duty, a clearly smitten seaman, stammered, "S-so, what, uh, what made you take up bounty hunting, miss?"

"Oh you know how it is. I needed money but wasn't at the point where I wanted to break the law." Left unsaid and completely misunderstood was that one day, she would be breaking quite a few laws. "Then that gentleman kicked up a fuss while being worth so much money. It must have been fate. Say, do you know where I could buy a transponder snail?"

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Deep in the Florian Triangle, a lonely skeleton did his best to keep his spirits up despite being surrounded by the remains of his friends. He was remarkably tall for someone born outside the Grand Line, standing 8'8" and incredibly thin even before accounting for his… condition. He wore an old and worn black jacket and trousers with a matching top hat perched atop his impressive afro. It was difficult to keep track of days in a land without sunlight, but he knew he'd been stuck for an awfully long time. Long enough that everyone, including him, had been reduced to just bones. In life, he had been "Humming" Brook, but these days he was just Brook. One of his more common musings to while away the time was to wonder if he was still a wanted man given that he'd died.

However, it seemed things were changing. Unless he was hallucinating again, hardly the first occurrence if he was, something was coming his way. Something flying through the air; a bird perhaps? Though he couldn't guess why any bird would willingly fly through such a place. They were perfectly capable of flying above or around it after all. And yet, several seconds later, a pair of News Coos of all things made their way through the fog. Despite being incapable of expression, they gave off the feeling that they were immensely irritated at the moment. In their talons, they each carried a package of some sort, which they angrily dropped at Brook's feet before flying off again.

Overwhelmingly curious, the musical skeleton sat himself down to open the first mysterious package. The box was surprisingly large, enough so that he could understand the Coo's frustration if it had been forced to carry such a thing all the way to him. He almost started opening the box when he belatedly noticed a letter tied to the top. Eager for his first human contact in far too long, Brook swiftly opened it up to reveal an unfamiliar handwriting.

"[Dear Brook,

You may call me Jaguar Robin. I'm a friend of sorts. I know things have been awful for you these last 24 years (Had it been 24 years? He honestly couldn't say) but know that your time alone in the Florian Triangle will come to an end. I'm afraid I can't come immediately as I lack the resources needed to reach you. However, neither will I leave you alone to suffer in the meantime. Do take care of this little guy for me if you would. I'm not sure if I can convince the Coos to deliver another one.

Your friend,

Robin]"

More curious than ever, Brook opened the package to find a Transponder Snail along several packages of what he assumed were food for it. There was also a short guide on caring for a Transponder Snail. But most importantly for him was the second note containing a Transponder Snail number and the name of his benefactor. In comparison, the second package containing a new kettle and several boxes of his favorite tea was almost immaterial. His fingers trembling, Brook picked up the receiver and dialed the number written. "Purururu. Purururu. *Click* Hello?" The snail's face transformed to be more feminine with blue eyes as it was answered.

Speaking to another person for the first time in what was apparently over twenty years, Brook stammered, "H-hello? Miss Robin?"

The snail smiled as the woman on the other end replied, "Brook! It's so good to hear from you!" 'Not nearly as good as it is to hear from you,' he thought. Robin could take her time rescuing him, the musician decided. That she'd given him some genuine human contact was more than enough to get him through until she arrived.

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Eventually, Robin made her way to Ohara and the Tree of Knowledge. Though she had been rebuilding her homeland for nearly a year when she'd suddenly found herself in the past, she wasn't ready to see it as it once was. The great tree stood proudly over the rest of the island, a beacon of knowledge and wisdom. Maybe she'd take the archaeology exam again. Would she do better or worse given that she knew the true answers this time? Probably better, she mused. Professor Clover wasn't the type to shy away from new information just because it contradicted what he thought he knew.

Before she could decide, a minor commotion caught her attention. Her nostalgic smile became a scowl as she spotted her aunt Roji, who was currently berating what had to be her younger self. Though it confirmed for Robin that her original self still existed and wasn't erased by her arrival, she was more focused on memories of her original childhood. The neglect, the abuse, the insults. No. Not this time. Fortunately, she had an easy solution. Well, she had several easy solutions but one in particular would settle things quickly and painlessly for all involved, even if it was more than that woman deserved. And so, she confidently walked towards the older woman and once she reached her, Robin asked, "That kid, how much for her?"

Startled out of ranting, Roji stared at the newcomer. She looked vaguely familiar, but if she was honest, she was paying more attention to the taller woman's figure than her face. Though unlike the various men nearby, she was filled with envy rather than lust. The woman before her had the body of a goddess. Life was so unfair; why couldn't she look like that? "What did you say?" She demanded of the newcomer.

"You clearly don't want her. So, how much for her?"

It seemed she hadn't misheard this woman. Her niece had stopped crying to stare at both of them. Not that Roji cared. If someone was willing to pay to take the brat of her hands, she'd be happy to accept their money. "Oh, I don't know. She is my precious niece after all. You can't put a price on family, you know." While true, she didn't consider Robin family at all. She'd absolutely put a price on her, but it looked better if she seemed reluctant. And it might make the other woman offer more.

Robin tossed a briefcase at the woman, doing an admirable job of hiding her hatred and disgust. Her aunt barely caught it and scowled, about to shout at her before Robin preempted her. "50 million Beri. Take it or leave it." It was most of her money, but she could easily get more from capturing additional bounties. Besides, she was worth it. Of course, the despicable woman happily took it, running off with the case and leaving her niece behind. Said niece looked up at Robin with fear and confusion in her eyes. She might not know about slavery, but she still understood that she'd just been sold. Robin squatted down until she was at the level of her younger self and gave her a genuinely warm smile. "Hey there, I'm Robin. I'll be taking care of you from now on."

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"What are we going to do, Auntie?" Nico Robin asked her guardian. It was a bit odd that they had the same name, but she'd gotten used to it over the years. And calling the other Robin "aunt" simply made sense, especially since she looked so much like Robin's mother Olvia. But that wasn't important right now. What was important was the battleships still shelling Ohara, especially now that Saul had been frozen by that one scary marine. But Aunt Robin always knew what to do; she knew everything and even had the same powers Robin did, though hers seemed stronger.

The older Robin's perpetual smile was replaced by a sharp frown. She remembered this day. She had nightmares about this day. But unlike the first time, she wasn't powerless. Nor was she ignorant. Glaring at the man who offered them an escape route while threatening them, she told him, "It's only because of what I know that I'm going to leave you peacefully." In the distance, the evacuation ship exploded. Robin's glare intensified as her head swiveled to the firing battleship. "But only you."

It was almost funny in a strange way. The first time around, the government covered up why they wanted her dead by claiming she'd sunk six battleships. Well, this time they'd have far more than that to blame on her. Crossing her arms in a gesture she hadn't needed in years, the time displaced woman declared, "Diez Mil Fleur! Gigantesco Mano!" From the remaining battleships Saul hadn't sunk himself sprouted thousands of limbs that melded into a pair of giant legs on the deck of each ship. The marines on board were stunned by the appearance of the giant limbs, but their officers quickly collected their wits and ordered that they attack. However, each leg promptly blackened with what the Vice Admirals all recognized as Busoshoku. "Stomp!" The heel of each leg suddenly smashed down, stomping into the decks with such force as to demolish every single ship. Of the sailors on board, maybe a fifth either died or were knocked out and drowned. The rest would have to hope they could reach the shore before their stamina failed them.

Naturally, the five Vice Admirals simply leapt clear using Geppo. However, one was grabbed by a giant blackened hand. Naturally, Vice Admiral Sakazuki promptly turned himself to lava, badly burning the limb holding him. Robin merely grit her teeth in pain as her duplicated limb dunked itself and its hostage into the ocean surrounding Ohara. As his body was enveloped by the sea, Sakazuki's power failed him and he sank like a hammer. Unfortunately, no one with the power to save him saw in time.

Back on the shore, the older Robin spared only a quick glance towards her left hand, the palm covered in a sympathetic burn due to Sakazuki's powers. Tearing off a sleeve from her shirt, she wrapped it around the injured extremity as Kuzan stared at where his comrade had drowned. "C'mon, Robin. Let's go." The pair settled into the rowboat Kuzan had provided and the older of the two rowed them away from their devastated home.

Mere days later, two new bounties would be issued by the World Government: "Demon Child" Nico Robin, with a bounty of 79 million, and her aunt "Thousand Arms" Jaguar Robin, with an astounding 410 million Beri bounty on her head. When asked by her "niece", Robin would laugh and remark that she used to be worth five times as much.

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It had been six years since Robin first contacted him, a figure he only knew because she kept him appraised of such things, including current events. If the young woman was to be believed, and he desperately wished to, she and her niece were finally on their way to get him. Brook couldn't wait. While conversing with them over the Transponder Snail was lovely, and they sent care packages from time to time (thank goodness as he'd have run out of food for the snail long ago otherwise), it'd be his first time meeting them or anyone face to face in far too long.

As he was thinking this, he heard a relatively common sound. A ship was passing through. In the early years, he'd tried to board such vessels, but the fog made it nigh impossible to tell where the sound was coming from. More often than not, he'd be forced to run back to his ship without having ever caught a glimpse of the other boat. This one, however, was coming awfully close, much closer than previous ships had. In fact, it sounded like it was- "Good afternoon, Brook!" Quickly rushing to the side of his ship, the skeleton spotted another ship with a pair of familiar figures waving to him. "We've been looking for you!" Indeed, chartering a ship from Water 7 to Sabaody wasn't particularly expensive. It was a common route after all. But getting them to actually linger deliberately in the Florian Triangle so she could find her old crewmate had made Robin glad she'd turned in a number of bounties before receiving her own. Still, it had worked and her Kenbunshoku had allowed her to find his voice within this desolate place.

Gathering up his few possessions, including his snail, Brook gave a great leap and landed on the deck in front of his two friends. Now that he was seeing them in person, he couldn't help but think the pair looked more like mother and daughter than aunt and niece.

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After rescuing him, Brook was surprised when Robin asked him to look after her niece for a little while. It wouldn't be long, she insisted. But she had business in the New World and she wouldn't dare endanger her niece by taking her there. Instead, she had asked the pair to meet her somewhere, a location Brook hadn't visited in far too long. "Are we almost there, Brook?" Young Robin asked him. Even if he hadn't owed her and her aunt so much, he'd have been grateful to meet her. She was a delightfully intelligent child and he was interested in seeing just how far she'd go. And she took his uniqueness in stride beyond once asking about borrowing his skull so she could quote an old play.

"Not long, I believe. We can already see the Red Line up ahead." Saying they could see it was a bit of an understatement; the mountain range dominated the skyline, taking up the entire horizon. Some part of Brook dreaded returning here. Would Laboon still be here? Would he remember him?

Naturally, the first question was answered by a loud call from what could only be an island whale. Rising up from the depths was a massive whale, over three hundred meters long by his estimates. With a keening wail, it slammed its immense scarred head into the Red Line, causing a thunderous crash. "Laboon? Laboon!" Brook barely kept himself from running to his old friend. Only the thought of abandoning Robin kept him in place. Nonetheless, the pair did everything they could to hasten their pace, the musician eager to reunite with the last of his crew and Robin eager to help her friend.

Once they were finally close enough, Brook leapt from the deck of their ship and through the air. "LABOOOOOON!" He joyously shouted at the top of his (non-existent) lungs. The whale paused in his assault on the mountain before it to turn towards the voice. He stared in confusion for several seconds before recognition shone in his eyes. Then Laboon let out a cry even louder than the others, but this time, it was overflowing with elation. Brook landed on the whale's head and hugged with all his might. "Laboon! I missed you so much!"

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As she used Geppo to reach Onigashima, Robin had to admit this might well be the hardest… okay, third hardest, infiltration she had ever pulled off. She wasn't counting any incident that involved sneaking with Luffy, Zoro, or Chopper in that, otherwise this wouldn't even be in her top twenty. She loved all three of them, but they had no idea how to be stealthy. Sanji and Nami were much better partners for anything covert. Unfortunately, this whole thing also had to be done without any type of haki. The island had far too many skilled users for her to trust them not to sense her otherwise. Luckily, Yamato had always been happy to talk about her attempts to defy her father. As such, Robin knew exactly where to find the oni princess. She just had to get there. "Huh. Did any of us have a truly happy childhood? Jinbe maybe? His tragedies started when he was in his twenties I believe."

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Within her room, Yamato aka the next Kozuki Oden mourned the three samurai she had met not long ago. The trio had treated her with greater kindness than her own father before they sacrificed themselves trying to kill him. The jangle of her shackles distracted her when she shifted. She glared angrily at them. If not for those damn seastone shackles, she could use her Devil Fruit and leave this wretched place. Or at least kill her father properly. Of course, given how nigh indestructible seastone was, she'd need her Devil Fruit to destroy them. Were she aware of the term, she'd say it was the perfect catch-22. No! She wouldn't think like that! She would defeat her father and free Wano! Then she would sail the seas and explore the wonderful world beyond, just like Kozuki Oden!

The little girl's thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected and unwelcome visitor. The woman was dressed like one of the lower ranked members of the Beast Pirates, wearing what amounted to a leather bra and thong along with shoulder pads and fake devil horns. Yamato didn't recognize her but that meant practically nothing. She did her best to never interact with her father's crew and only knew the two "Calamities", King and Queen, by sight. "What do you want?" She demanded petulantly.

The woman merely smiled, an expression that was far more comforting than those seen on the other Beast Pirates. "Why, I'm here to take Kozuki Oden away from Wano, of course."

That earned a glare and an instinctive flexing of Yamato's Haoshoku, something the newcomer completely ignored. "Oden is dead because of people like you and my father!"

"Oh? I was under the impression that you were going to be the next Kozuki Oden, or was I mistaken, little Yamato? And do tone down the Haoshoku if you would. I'm hoping to have one mission as a Straw Hat that ends as quietly as it begins." Yamato could hear the capitalization in the older woman's words.

"Who are you? You're no Beast Pirate. And what do you mean, a Straw Hat?"

The woman leaned down close to her as though sharing a great secret. "I'm Robin, a future crew member of the next King of Pirate, naturally. And if I'm not mistaken, the last Kozuki Oden sailed with the first king. So it only follows that the next Kozuki Oden should sail with the second king. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Maybe," Yamato allowed. "But how would I leave? That stupid cow-gorilla said these shackles will explode if I leave Onigashima!"

"You mean the shackles I already picked?" At Robin's words, there was a quiet clang of metal on wood. Looking down, the young oni saw her shackles laying on the floor and a quartet of arms dispersing into flower petals. "Now, there's just one thing left to do before we leave."

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It was chaos at Onigashima the next morning. Yamato's corpse had been discovered on the rocks surrounding the island during low tide. Given the state of her room, the location where her body was found, and how waterlogged she was, it was concluded she must have tried to escape in the night, only to land in the sea and drown. Kaidō was furious. Yamato'd had potential; she was much like him: A Conqueror, an oni, and in possession of a mythical zoan devil fruit. Had she merely ceased her foolish rebellion, she'd have easily become his greatest soldier, possibly even worthy of taking his life one day in the future. Now, she was gone along with her potential and her devil fruit (the time and effort that fruit had cost him was ridiculous). And, on some level, he did mourn his idiot child. Regardless of her recent foolishness, she was his only child and one of the few other oni in the world. Still, he would carry on. He had plans for Wano that would take several years, possibly even a couple decades, to complete. He wasn't going to abandon them now just because of one death.

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"Luffy, letter for you!" Makino called as she went through the mail. The young bartender held out the offending letter with a smile as Luffy came running by, grabbing it as he launched himself at his customary stool. The boy had been getting regular letters from some nice woman in the Grand Line for over a year, sometimes getting ones from her family as well. While Makino was suspicious at first, this "Robin" never made any attempt to meet Luffy and instead simply shared stories about what she and her kids got up to. The young woman honestly read the letters more than Luffy did given he usually needed her to read them to him. From the sound of it, they were a family of adventurers or pirates. And given how Luffy already idolized an infamous pirate, he got on with them like a house on fire.

Tearing open the envelope, Luffy cheered, "Yay! It's here!" To his surprise, something fell out of the envelope besides the letter. Reaching down, Luffy snagged the object before it hit the floor and held it up. It was a photograph of four people. "Whoa! This must be Robin's family!"

Curious, Makino peered over Luffy's shoulder to look at the picture as well. Front and center was a black-haired woman with a long, defined nose and wearing a pair of glasses, a dark jacket over a pale blue shirt, and a violet knee length pleated skirt. Next to her was what must be her sister, her hair much shorter but otherwise nearly identical and wearing a blue sweater with orange shorts, a pair of orange sunglasses in her hair. Behind them was a far taller woman with very long white hair that slowly faded into blue at the tips. Her eyes were shut as she gave a beaming smile towards the camera. She wore a black t-shirt with a light blue clover design on the front, along with a pair of low riding blue jeans, and a white cowboy hat though the brim was pushed up at the sides by a pair of red horns. But the last… person really caught Makino's eye. A skeleton with a massive afro, upon which sat a black top hat, wearing a burgundy suit with a lavender cravat and a monocle (that both eye sockets were clearly empty made the monocle stand out even more to Makino). "My, they sure are a colorful group, aren't they?"

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Robin couldn't help but feel ashamed as she read the paper. She'd known Koala for years but she'd managed to forget something so important. Intellectually, she knew she couldn't prevent every tragedy, and likely not even just the ones she personally knew about. But this one had so many ripple effects and caused so much suffering. Hopefully, she could at least mitigate things somewhat.

"Hey mom, what's- you alright?" Yamato's boisterous greeting changed mid-sentence as she entered the room. At eighteen years old, the young oni towered over the other two women in their little family and was just shy of reaching Brook's height. The time displaced woman couldn't help but be proud of how well she'd grown up over the decade, any more than she could help the warmth in her chest whenever she called her "Mom". Though she'd admit to being glad her younger self still called her "Aunt", even though she'd told them all the truth years ago. Not only did Robin not want to replace her own mother in the younger Robin's heart, these days her younger self looked more like her little sister than her daughter. The last ten years, all of them had been training and simply spending time together as a family of sorts: Her, Robin, Brook, Yamato, and Laboon. Of course, it would be another decade before their family was truly complete. But Robin was nothing if not patient.

"I will be. I got some bad news in the paper today," Robin explained to her adoptive daughter. "I'll have to call and offer my condolences."

Yamato looked at the headline and quickly connected the dots. "Jinbe?" She'd heard many stories about her mother's future crew, her own future crew if things worked out, and knew Robin was trying to mitigate their various tragedies as much as she reasonably could. At the smaller woman's nod, she offered, "Well give him my best, mom. I'll go see what little you is up to."

"Thank you dear, I will." As her daughter left the room, Robin picked up the Transponder Snail and dialed, thankful that Jinbe kept the same number for so many years into the future. "Purururu. Purururu."

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"So you're the one who had Luffy tell us not to bring Uta to Elygia?" Shanks asked of the woman sitting at the bar next to him. Rather than their usual haunt at Dawn Island, they were meeting in Loguetown of all places. Shanks hated the town if he were honest. The last time he had visited it was when he watched his captain die. Most of the crew was still staying onboard the Red Force, with only Benn and Yasopp accompanying him, though they would let him do the talking. The woman carefully sipping her ale had been famous in Roger's time, only to become infamous not long after he died. From a highly successful bounty hunter who went after some of the biggest names outside the Grand Line to the highest bounty outside of the New World overnight when she'd stopped a Buster Call of all things. Then… nothing. Besides the occasional rumor, she'd seemingly vanished off the face of the earth for the next decade. And now, here she was, having contacted one of the most infamous pirates in the world out of the blue.

Raising her mug in salute, Robin answered, "Yes, I am." It was interesting seeing Shanks again. She'd gotten used to seeing people much younger than she knew them. But Shanks was the first person she'd met in this new life that she was certain she could not defeat. He was a monster like that. "Uta is a good kid, much like Luffy. She doesn't deserve what would have happened."

"Oh?" Shanks asked. "And what do you think would have happened?" This conversation was already more interesting than he'd expected.

"In all likelihood, she'd have found Tot Musica and sang it without realizing what it'd do." Without letting him ask the obvious question, she explained, "That song would forcibly awaken her Devil Fruit and summon a golem created by a previous user. All it does is kill and destroy until the user of the Uta Uta no Mi exhausts themselves."

Shanks' Haoshoku started leaking out at the woman's words, both at what she claimed would have happened to his daughter and her disturbing amount of information about the girl. "How do you know that? How do you know about Uta's Devil Fruit? Or about this Tot Musica?"

Hiding her nervousness with an ease born of over forty years of practice, Robin answered his question with one of her own. "What do you know about time travel?"

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It'd been twelve days since they washed up on this rock. He hadn't run out of food yet, but every day Sanji was a little more tempted to scarf down what was left, consequences be damned. Alternatively, the sea looked more inviting by the hour. He didn't consider himself suicidal, but this was worse than when his father locked him away. At least then he hadn't been starving to the point of forgetting what it felt like to be full. Carefully, he took the bite of food he allotted himself for this meal and forced himself to put the rest down on the rock he was sharing with the geezer. He'd be able to eat more in just a few hours, he told himself.

Then the old geezer spoke up for the first time since their first day. "Hey brat, I think I'm hallucinating. Come take a look." Sanji came to the other side of the rock to see what he was talking about. He quickly noticed that the old man's bag of food was still as huge as ever before he saw what Zeff had been talking about, not even truly seeing the man himself. Running along a frozen path of ice atop the ocean was some kind of horned white and blue wolf. With every step it took, more ice formed to continue the path and, in the distance, Sanji could see a winding road of ice that clearly marked the winding route it had taken.

Finally, the wolf approached their rock and stopped. It looked in their direction before changing, transforming into a young woman with horns and white hair. With a single powerful leap, she landed on the same rock they had been stranded on, causing both Sanji and Zeff to tumble backwards. Up close, he could get a better look at her. Besides the fact she was taller than if Sanji sat on Zeff's shoulders, she wore a pink tank top with a white X on it along with black shorts and a black jacket tied around her waist. Lifting her pink sunglasses, the woman asked, "Hey, are you two Sanji and Zeff? Mom sent me to get you! Oh crap, are you okay, old man?"

It was her last comment that caused Sanji to finally notice the condition the old man was in. His right leg from the knee down was gone. "Old geezer, what happened to your leg?!" He shouted in alarm.

Sighing tiredly, Zeff pulled on the string holding his bag shut. Out of the now opened bag spilled golden coins and gems. "You can't eat treasure, kid," was his gruff, no-nonsense reply, the implications of what he had been eating loud and clear.

-]|[-

Anyone who's ever been in any military would tell you that boring was good. Boring was safe. Interesting was when you're a single stray bullet or sword from dying horribly miles from home. And things could go from boring to interesting faster than you could realize the rest of your squad is dead and you're surrounded by enemies. What not everyone who's current or former military can tell you was that things can go from interesting to surreal even faster.

Life in Cocoyashi Village was largely the same day in and day out. Their island was too small and too sleepy for even the sheriff, Genzo, to ever see any real excitement. So it stood to reason that no one was remotely prepared for a pirate attack, especially not an attack by an entire crew of fish-man pirates. Even Bell-mère, who'd been a Marine Captain before her retirement, had never seen a fish-man in person, partially because she'd never been stationed in the Grand Line. Then the lead fish-man, a man called Arlong, declared that everyone in the archipelago would have to buy their lives: one hundred thousand per adult and fifty thousand per child. And they'd have to pay the pirates the same amount every month if they wanted to live. Privately, Genzo thanked whatever god was responsible for the Baratie. Ever since the floating restaurant opened a year ago, they bought more of Bell-mère's mikans than anyone else. He didn't think the former marine could have afforded this new "tax" otherwise.

That's when things went from the worst kind of interesting to surreal. Another group of fish-men arrived, led by someone Bell-mère did recognize, even if she'd never met him before: "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords and a man who should have no business in the East Blue. Granted, the other fish-men had no business there either. The first group had been shocked to see the second, which quickly led to Jinbe's group beating Arlong's senseless, all while Jinbe berated Arlong over how "This wasn't what Brother Tiger would have wanted". Once that was done, he had called the Marines, apparently informing them that Arlong wasn't one of his and summoning them to arrest him and his crew. Afterwards, the Sun Pirates had offered a quick but formal apology and left. All in all, the story made for a bizarre tale to share over a drink with others.

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Franky, once known as Cutty Flam a lifetime ago, grunted as he screwed the next piece of his super new body in place. That Robin lady had some super ideas after he contacted her with his plan, though most of them needed refining between him and Tom. He was a little confused by her request though. After what she'd done to help them (even if it had cost his entire fleet of Battle Frankies), he'd been prepared to offer pretty much anything, but all she wanted was to commission a ship sometime in the future. By his side, Tom held Franky's arm in place as his apprentice carefully attached it. "Are you sure you don't want some painkillers for this, Franky?" The master shipwright asked once again. The idea of his apprentice converting himself into one of his weapons wasn't as bizarre as some might think; Tom had seen and heard about plenty of weird things spending his entire life on the Grand Line. And he could understand Franky's logic of wanting his best weapons to be ones that no one could steal from him like that late idiot Spandam had tried. But doing it the way he was? That made the fish-man uncomfortable.

"No way! I need to be able to feel that I'm doing things right. I can't do that if I can't feel anything at all," the budding cyborg insisted. He'd already converted everything below the waist himself. Well not everything; some "things" simply got a protective covering. Regardless, he didn't need help with the actual building or attachment process until he got started on his upper body. And of course, he'd be entirely reliant on Tom when it came time to do his back. As a compromise he offered, "Tell you what, when we finish, I'll take all the painkillers you want. Until then, hold my arm steady."

Tom grimaced but did as the young man asked. He was almost certain that if he had refused to help, Franky would have just done it by himself anyway, which would be so much more dangerous.

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"You wished to speak with me, ma'am?" Lucci asked through his pigeon Hattori. He knew who the woman before him was of course. Even if he wasn't the strongest member of CP9, Jaguar Robin was the most wanted woman outside of the New World. That she'd asked to speak with him alone was suspicious. Perhaps she recognized him; if so, she'd have to die to maintain his cover. While the World Government would prefer that she be taken in alive, so long as she was no longer a threat, they'd be satisfied. Though it was possible that she was one of those "lonely older women" he'd heard the other Galley La workers talk about sometimes. Lucci himself didn't indulge in such things except as part of a mission, personally seeing no point to it, but it might be useful here. So he followed her to an out of the way alley, ready to either end her or seduce her depending on what the woman wanted.

Except what actually happened was a massive, blackened hand engulfed his entire body below his neck in an instant. The assassin attempted to transform, only to find the appendage wouldn't give way enough for him to do so. Utilizing Tekkai accomplished nothing against the iron grip, so he prepared to use a version of Shigan his former comrade Who's-Who had developed and bite the hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Robin advised him, "Wouldn't want to return to your coworkers with broken teeth, after all."

Glaring at the woman who clearly found him out, Lucci forwent his usual ventriloquism and demanded, "What do you want, Thousand Arms?"

Robin smiled almost pleasantly. "Not much, I assure you. A good cup of coffee, the happiness of my crew, and the suffering of my enemies." For just a moment, her smile became more a baring of teeth than anything. "But luckily, your little group isn't my enemy right now. So instead, I thought I'd offer you a bit of advice: Quit your other job. You, that carpenter, the secretary, and the bartender. Keep doing what you're doing now and we won't have any problems. You can just be Galley La workers as long as you want. Or, you can try to fulfill your mission, attempt to retrieve the plans for Pluton." Against his will, Lucci's eyes widened in shock that this pirate knew his mission. It shouldn't be possible; she'd been sighted on Water 7 once before, but that was almost a decade prior and years before any of them went undercover. In his horror, he almost missed her next words. "And then you'll get to watch as we obliterate Enies Lobby, leaving not one stone atop another." Her pleasant smile back in place, Robin dispersed the hand holding the assassin in place and turned to leave. "I'm glad we had this chat."

Refusing to let this woman risk everything, Lucci immediately shifted into his hybrid form, wrapped his tail around her waist to hold her in place, and took a particular stance with his fists held parallel to each other mere inches from her back. "Maximum Radius: Rokuogan!" Yet, even as the shockwave left his knuckles, the woman dispersed into flower petals, causing his attack to continue forward and completely demolish a building across the street. As screams rang out, Lucci knew he had to flee before his cover was truly blown. Reverting back to his human form, he moved as fast as his Soru would allow, heading towards Blueno's Bar. A couple quick drinks, easily shaken off with Life Return, and everyone would assume he'd been there for hours.

Elsewhere, Robin didn't even glance up from her book as she remarked, "So, he's chosen death."

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AN: So here we have a post-canon Robin arriving around the time her two-year-old self was sent to be raised by her aunt and uncle. Captain Everything is an OC based off Henry Every, the most wanted pirate in history, and that Oda once planned to make Teach's name be "Everything D. Teach". Despite what little Robin said, milf Robin's devil fruit powers aren't stronger; she's just got more training and knows how to use them better. Well, that and she's awakened her Devil Fruit, the abilities of which I heavily implied with Yamato's escape. For looks, older Robin looks like the good timeline sketch Oda once released, specifically where she's 60.

I ranted about Kuzan before but the reveal of Saul's survival and the note that Kuzan specifically used a different technique against him (one called Time Capsule) got me to consider a random theory about him. We know that in canon, Kuzan is currently working for Blackbeard and a few have suggested he's actually a double agent who's still loyal to the Marines. My thought: What if he's a triple agent and he's actually working for Dragon. The Buster Call at Ohara, Saul's violent defection, and Sakazuki killing the civilians promised to be spared might have been what broke his faith in the marines and caused him to be recruited by Dragon, whom we know visited Ohara shortly after its destruction.

Why does Kaidō seem nicer than canon? Because Yamato's rebellion against him is relatively new, only a couple months old or so at this point. Even during the main storyline, he seemed to genuinely have some minor affection for his only child (Wanting Yamato at the festival, trying to install her as Shogun, etc). So take that and subtract twenty years of enmity and Kaidō is still mostly a selfish prick, but there's a tiny bit of legitimate parental grief present.

You know, initially it was just going to be Robin saving Robin then meeting the Straw Hats. But things took a turn when someone asked about the others. So even though Robin knows they survive their tragic backstories, she's still doing what she can to help. Mom doesn't let her kids suffer needlessly. Though she will make damn sure they're strong enough to deal with what she can't prevent, even if that means beating them senseless in the name of training.