The moon, nearly full in the starry sky, begins to decline gently over the vast ocean. The cool air feels like a velvet cloak, while tiny droplets crash onto the ground like shards of glass, accompanied by the sound of muffled sobs.
Robin keeps her arms crossed tightly, ensuring that the person she had searched for so long remains on the ground, preventing them from escaping her anger, her questions, and her despair. The fact that Stella looks like a man in this moment helps Robin stay clear-headed. If it had been the other way around, she doesn't know if she would have been able to stand before her without thinking of her mother.
She looks at the person with whom she once laughed over breakfast, the one whose stories and adventures she listened to with stars in her eyes, the one who introduced her to the warmth of a family, the one who showed her the beauty of a starry sky on a winter night. All of that is now nothing more than memories, tarnished by the scent of smoke and fire that consumed them.
"Why…?" Her breathing is ragged, and her fingers tighten even more. "Why did you abandon us…?" Her voice breaks with every word. "For years, I believed you were a victim, that you were like me… But in the end, you chose to work for them… The ones who took everything from us." Her eyes lock onto the blue gaze she had searched for so long, like a lighthouse in the night. "Tell me it's not true… Tell me you're not really working for them. That you have a plan for revenge, something… Anything…"
Her tears now flow freely down her cheeks, falling onto the ground. She doesn't care about how miserable she looks. She just wants to know why all this destruction happened. Why so many people died. Why everything took place twenty years ago. She knows this tragedy was caused by research on the Void Century, and yet… her mother had been able to sail freely for years. What changed?
Stella remains lying on the ground, making no effort to free herself or push away the hands squeezing her throat. Motionless on the beaten earth, she seems empty, drained of energy, ready to endure without resistance.
And that only angers the archaeologist even more.
"Say something! Say it's a lie! A setup! A mistake! Bad luck! But don't just sit there doing nothing! Come up with an excuse! A wild story! A well-crafted lie! Say something!"
The former queen breathes softly before turning her gaze toward the starry sky. Silence settles in, broken only by Robin's sniffles as she tries to calm down.
After long minutes, the archaeologist finally wipes the last traces of tears from her cheeks. But what is she doing? How can she crack so easily after all these years of hiding her emotions to protect herself? How could simply seeing the former queen of Ohara so easily shatter the mask she had built after all the betrayals and disillusionments?
She takes a deep breath, pushing back the emotions still boiling inside her, and puts back on the mask she has worn for years. She is not Nico Robin. She is Miss All-Sunday.
With a confident stride, she approaches Stella, who still doesn't seem willing to move on her own. That suits her just fine. She will extract all the information she wants.
"You will answer my questions. I forbid you from running or lying to me." Her voice is sharp, threatening. The former queen nods, her blue eyes almost lifeless.
"Where were you when the Marines attacked Ohara?"
"I was on a small island in South Blue."
"Why?"
"To take care of an orphan."
Robin raises an eyebrow at this response, vaguely recalling the coos or cries of a baby through the Den Den Mushi.
"Why didn't you come back?"
"The man I was with stopped me. He said the child wouldn't survive the pressure changes of the deep sea or the ascent of the Red Line. So I waited until he was older to bring him back to Ohara."
At least she hadn't abandoned them willingly. It was simply her weakness for children that kept her in South Blue.
"When did you learn about the attack on Ohara?"
She sees Stella's hands clench against the ground.
"I overheard a phone conversation. The man I was with was a Marine, and he had just learned that his unit was surrounding Ohara." Her empty eyes briefly flicker between blue and green before she closes them to hide the shift. "I wanted to know what was happening, but he told me that researchers of the Void Century were suspected on my island. I asked him to call Kong, the fleet admiral at the time, but he refused, saying it was pointless. I forced the call by stealing the Den Den… But Kong told me that CP9 was in charge of the operation alongside Admiral Sengoku. And I couldn't contact the latter because the other had managed to recover the snail."
Robin clenches her fists.
"And what did you do?"
Stella's eyes open, glowing a vibrant green.
"I did the only thing I could do when my family was in danger. I ran as fast as I could. I crossed the Red Line and reached Ohara, but…" A lifeless sigh escapes her lips. "It was too late. Everything was in flames, destroyed, lifeless."
Robin watches as her fingers dig deep into the ground, yet the rest of her body remains motionless.
"I was consumed by rage, feeling my heart bleed for every life ripped away from me until there was nothing left. Nothing but emptiness and void in a sky that once shone with hundreds of stars. So…" Her voice grows deeper and rougher. "I did the same to them."
Robin now understands why Stella wasn't there to protect them. She had been deceived by someone she trusted.
"What happened next? How did Admiral Aokiji and Sakazuki manage to stop you?"
Stella lets out a trembling sigh, the only sign of the whirlwind of emotions inside her.
"They didn't stop me. They weren't strong enough." Robin frowns. "But Aokiji was smarter… He used the only thing that could stop me in my madness." Her blue gaze settles on Robin with unexpected gentleness. "You."
Robin holds her breath.
Is it because of her that Stella worked for the Marines? Is it for her that she spent eighteen months in a laboratory? Why? She is no one.
"Why..."
"Why wouldn't I?"
Robin doesn't understand the logic behind it all. What did Stella have to gain by giving up her freedom like that? She clenches her fists. She doesn't need protection.
"I don't understand. Why give up your freedom for a little girl? You could have done so much more! Exposed the truth about Ohara! Fought against the World Government! Against the destruction they commit with impunity! So why did you choose to surrender for me?! I could have managed on my own! I survived after my bounty was announced! One more year wouldn't have changed anything!" Robin yells, anger bursting in her voice.
Stella holds her gaze.
"It's true... I realize now that you are much stronger than I thought. You've become a strong, intelligent, and independent woman, without anyone's help."
The archaeologist's rage subsides slightly at this compliment, which touches her more than she wants to admit.
"But... I didn't want to risk losing you too... All these things, I could do them later, once you were safe. What are a few decades compared to your life?" The former queen whispers.
Robin is speechless.
She, who has only known hypocrisy since she was alone, betrayal from those who sold her for her bounty, lies from those who wanted to exploit her knowledge… She, who built an icy shell around her heart to survive atrocities no child should ever witness…
And yet, standing before her is someone who sacrificed her freedom for twenty years, who worked with the very people who destroyed her home and her family, just for her.
But there are still shadows left unexplored.
"I don't understand. I read the report on you. It says you were brainwashed and forgot about me after eighteen months of experimentation. So how could you let the World Government put a bounty on me if you remembered everything? Where was your so-called protection?"
Stella's gaze saddens.
"They trapped me. As long as I stayed quiet, they promised to leave you alone." She sighs, furrowing her brows. "But the World Government had other plans for me. They wanted to exploit my power and knowledge, but to ensure my obedience, they tried to erase and reshape my memory." Her blue eyes darken with pain. "To make sure the process was working, they put a bounty on your head to observe my reaction. I had to say harsh and horrible things to avoid being exposed… Please forgive me."
Robin is speechless.
It's not surprising coming from the World Government; she already expected such despicable methods.
But this means Stella has been playing a role all these years? Why? It doesn't make sense.
"Why did you do nothing?! Why did you keep up this masquerade? Why didn't you rebel and send them to hell?! I would have had a bounty no matter what! I would have been portrayed as a monster who killed hundreds of people anyway!"
Stella stares at her, unwavering.
"A few bounty hunters are better than hundreds of ships on your trail. They are everywhere, and I couldn't reach them all at the same time, nor find you before they did. Imagine if they had done to every island you were spotted on what they did to Ohara... Do you think thousands of lives are worth less than my freedom?"
The archaeologist pales at every word. Would the Marines really have gone that far?
She remembers the civilian ship that was blown up over mere suspicion. Yes, they would be capable of it.
"I understand your actions spartially. But now, you don't need to pretend anymore. I'm twenty-eight years old; I can take care of myself."
Stella looks at her with sadness and apprehension.
"Have you found people you can rely on? People willing to protect you no matter what? Who will encourage you in your passions, without ulterior motives?"
"Why does that matter? I just told you I do fine on my own. Others are just pawns, just as I am a pawn in their hands."
"Then I will continue this masquerade… until you find them."
"What?! Why?! I'm an adult, and I make my own choices! Stop believing you are responsible for me in any way! You are no longer the queen of Ohara! You have no duty toward me anymore! Do whatever you want without thinking about what might happen to me! My life is in danger every day; a few more Marines won't change anything!"
Stella looks at her in silence before sighing.
"As you said, you are an adult and free to make your own choices and follow your own path… so let me do the same with mine." Robin is about to protest, but the former queen cuts her off. "This theater play brings me difficulties, but also advantages. Under the guise of an infiltration mission, I can go anywhere. I have access to Marine bases without issue, and I keep an eye on their actions from within. The Yonkos know my power but also that I'm not a direct threat, so they let me move freely in their waters. As for the Revolutionaries, they use the scraps of information I feed them to strike where needed."
Her gaze grows heavy with meaning.
"Don't think I remain passive. Rest was taken from me long ago, and I cannot let this world fall completely." She sighs once more. "Yes, it's slow… But necessary. Like a chess game against the greatest strategist." A soft smile appears on her lips. "So let me handle this. Don't burden yourself with this task and live your life as you see fit, according to your own rules, your own experiences. I just hope… for a phone call from time to time." She finishes in a trembling voice, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Robin listens in silence, processing the information bit by bit, until she reaches a conclusion.
Stella is not a traitor.
She made choices to protect her in the shadows. She had to sacrifice herself and work under those who took everything from her, pretending to have amnesia.
She fights, carefully moving pieces in a dangerous game, leaking information to bring down the World Government. These are not loud actions like a rebellion, nor destructive ones like a bombing, nor deadly ones like a war. But they will have an impact, at the right moment.
The world keeps turning, oblivious to the gears moving behind the scenes. Stella stayed away from her, not out of disinterest, but because she had no other choice to keep her safe.
A swirl of warmth blooms in Robin's heart. She wasn't deceived. Nor abandoned.
It doesn't erase all the pain she has endured, but the one person she believed in for so long neither betrayed nor forgot her. On the contrary.
Without a word, she makes her hands disappear in a flurry of pink petals. But Stella doesn't move, waiting for her next gesture with apprehension.
For the first time, Robin sees her so anxious, so fragile… So human.
Robin steps closer and gently sits beside her former mentor. Slowly, hesitantly, she takes Stella's hand, who looks at her with wide eyes.
"I believe… you have new stories and adventures to tell me."
Like a dam breaking, Stella's face fills with pain, and she no longer holds back her tears.
In one swift motion, she rises and pulls the archaeologist into her arms, burying her face in her shoulder, her body trembling.
Robin stiffens instinctively but relaxes upon hearing the muffled sobs, the murmured "I'm sorry," the whispered "forgive me."
Gently, hesitantly, she wraps her arms around the woman she had searched for and hoped to find.
The tears return, but for the first time in twenty long years, they are not tears of sadness.