"Hey, Robin! Wanna go explore with me?"
"Oh, come on!" protested Nami. "You too?"
"Nami, it's a prehistoric island filled with dinosaurs – if you think for a second that I'm not gonna try my hardest to pet the most dangerous one out there, then you don't know me as well as I thought," deadpanned Brynlee.
Her best friend shot her a flat look. "I hope it bites your hand off."
"I appreciate the invitation, but I'd rather enjoy this impromptu vacation to catch up on some reading," then answered Robin with a pleasant smile.
"That's fair. It's too bad, though. I mean, it's an island that's basically evolved outside of the World's jurisdiction and control, so there surely are a lot of historically relevant remnants to be found," shrugged Brynlee, trying to bite back a smile as she noticed the minute stiffening of Robin's shoulders. "If I happen to stumble upon ruins or anything of interest, I'll be sure to commit the details to memory so I can share them with you."
"… on second thought, a walk and some fresh scenery can only be beneficial for one's health," reconsidered Robin, carefully putting her book away.
"Until you guys run into a carnivorous beast or some highly poisonous plants! Then that's entirely detrimental to your health!" snapped Usopp.
"So glad you changed your mind!" grinned Brynlee. "Let's get going, then. There's a lot of ground to cover! Nami, Usopp, make sure to keep an eye on the ship in the meantime! And don't forget, no sharing our booby-trapped alcohol with the giants!"
Ignoring their protests and pleas to remain, and also Usopp's choked "Booby-trapped!?" that followed shortly after, Brynlee cheerfully grabbed two of the remaining lunchboxes, handing one to her new friend once they were on firm ground. The older woman smiled bemusedly.
"You have a knack for convincing people. Some may even call it manipulation."
"Hey, no harm no foul, right? And it's not like I lied or anything – there really is a lot to discover here! For example, plenty of crews before ours must have become trapped here. If we're lucky enough, we might stumble upon centuries-old remains!"
Robin hummed in agreement. "Well, I can't deny the appeal. Dead men tell no tales, but their bones do carry history."
"You guys are saying scary things and I can still hear them! Just go already!" yelled Usopp from the deck.
Brynlee laughed, and a slightly amused smile graced Robin's lip.
Maybe this little venture would prove interesting, after all.
"Well, would you look at that? Lucky indeed."
As it turned out, the prehistoric island was an absolute blast to explore – there were dozens of uncanny creatures, hundreds of unfamiliar plants, and a lot of dinosaurs. They hadn't run into any particularly dangerous ones so far, but Brynlee still got the chance to knock some teeth out of a velociraptor then pet him, so she counted that as a win.
And now, they'd managed to stumble upon some interesting remains!
"From the decomposition of the armor, and the state of the bones… I would guess these poor folks arrived here about 500 hundred years ago," estimated Robin as she gently prodded at the skeleton. "No apparent wound, so it is most probable he died from a parasitic infection, or a disease." She shot an unreadable look Brynlee's way. "Exactly as you warned us about. How positively convenient that you just so happened to buy the exact means to protect ourselves, as though you expected to run into this kind of danger."
Brynlee smiled. "What can I say? I like to be prepared."
"An intuitive foresight learned from the Revolutionary Army, perhaps?"
Ah, she was fishing for information, then. Well, Brynlee would hardly deny her. This was progress, if anything!
"I feel like you're lacking a little bit of context," she mused. "How about I tell you how, exactly, I've managed to survive this long?"
Robin paused, then smiled back. "It certainly sounds like an interesting tale. I'm all ears."
I feel like this may not have come up before, but Brynlee's a bit of an unreliable narrator. Whatever happens that isn't in her immediate vicinity will probably get glossed over a lot, so be prepared for that.
Hope you enjoy her bonding with Robin! Robin's one of my favorite Straw Hats.