"Good morning! I was told you were brought breakfast earlier, but if you need anything else, I'll be happy to try and provide it!"

Robin stared silently at her, her expression completely unreadable and, if she looked close enough, Brynlee could see the slightest hint of redness around her eyes. It was obvious the abrupt change of circumstances and the sudden recall of her buried trauma had left her a bit shaken.

"I'm sorry about the cuffs," she added, sitting down in front of Robin so they could talk eye-to-eye. "It's really just a precaution – didn't want you killing anyone in their sleep, you know? And I really, really wanted to talk."

"How did you know?" Robin asked in a clipped tone.

"I've got a few connections with the Revolutionary Army – they've been trying to find you for a while now, you know?"

"Why?"

"To help you, of course. Keep you safe. But obviously, you've grown capable of doing that yourself." Brynlee fiddled with her fingers a bit. For once, she was unsure of what to say. "I… This will surely sound insane to you, but I'm really, genuinely happy to finally meet you, Robin. I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time."

She scoffed. "You talk as though our meeting was fated to occur."

A small grin graced Brynlee's lip. "Funny you should word it like that."

That made Robin pause, and she quirked a brow. "Do you pretend to know the future? I'm sorry to say, but I've long since stopped believing in those types of parlor tricks."

"I don't pretend anything. I just happen to know a lot. Be it past, present, or future… Well, it can all get a bit mixed up. After all, the future is what we make of it – it can change depending on the decisions we make," she rationalized. "In fact, I'm trying to do exactly that right now."

"Knowing what you know… Do you intend to blackmail me into switching sides, then?"

Brynlee frowned, a bit offended. "Of course not. Plus, there's hardly any potential for blackmail, anyway – mutual destruction, remember?"

"Ah, yes. So you truly are one of them, then? A Lunarian."

"Yup!"

"A bold claim. Do you not fear to bring about the complete and utter annihilation of your crew? If word of your existence was to reach the marines…"

"Oh, it's a risk that scares me shitless," she admitted, heaving out a small sigh. "But it's a risk my crew willingly accepted. What was I meant to do, anyway? Live out my life in hiding, only to eventually die forgotten?"

Robin suddenly leaned forward, eyes gleaming with malice. "Once the World Government finds out about your existence, they will come and eradicate your crew. You believe yourself strong enough to protect them but, truth of the matter is, you're just a scared little girl cursed to live in fear and hiding until death finally comes to claim you! And they will come, and you won't be able to do anything but watch your friends and those you cherish burn in their useless attempt to protect you. Have you ever wondered how, exactly, I've managed to survive all these years? It's because I never trusted anyone. Because I know how the world works and I know not to get attached, and I know that when comes the time to cut ties and disappear again in order to guarantee my own safety, I'll sacrifice any number of lives to save my own. That is the kind of world us survivors are trapped in."

Brynlee exhaled shakily as Robin leaned back, her gaze unfaltering and her vicious words echoing almost like a prophecy. It's not like she was wrong, it's not like she said anything Brynlee didn't already know, but it still stung. She'd spent so long admiring Robin and catching glimpses of her through the rare Revolutionary reports they managed to get on her that she'd forgotten just how broken she'd been, before meeting Luffy.

Maybe interfering this early hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

It was too late to back out now, though.

"… You're right. If the World Government learns of my existence, they'll come after my crew and probably kill everyone in a heartbeat," she admitted, clenching her fists a bit. "But I have faith. One day, they will be strong enough to stand against the World itself and, when that day comes… we'll both be free."

"You are a foolish girl."

"And you're an embittered woman." Brynlee smiled when Robin shot her a flat look. "I don't blame you for it. What happened… I won't say anything more on the subject, other than I am truly, deeply sorry."

"… what's the point of all this, then?"

Robin looked tired, now. Exhausted, even.

Brynlee used that opportunity to activate one of her less used abilities.

[HEART SIGHT]

Target: Nico Robin

"I will uncover the secrets of the Void Century or die trying."

Well, here goes nothing.

"You wish to uncover the truth behind the Void Century, do you not? To fulfill the dream for which Ohara burned." Robin stiffened, her eyes instantly glazing over, but Brynlee forged on. "The future isn't written in stone, but some facts are immutable – such as the fact that the Poneglyph hidden underneath the Royal Palace of Alabasta details nothing more than the actual location of one of the three famed weapons, Pluton."

"You're lying," snapped Robin, her tone growing sharper, almost accusing.

"I'm not. I'm sorry to say, but you won't find the answers you seek in Alabasta. It kind of sucks that you helped bring an entire kingdom to ruin for absolutely nothing, huh?"

"That's not—"

"A few other immutable facts is that my Captain, Monkey D. Luffy, will beat Sir Crocodile, and Princess Vivi will save her people from outright civil war," Brynlee continued without missing a beat. "Baroque Works will be disbanded, the higher officers will end up in Impel Down, and you… Well, the logical conclusion would be for you to be sent straight to the Five Elder Stars, who will either have you immediately executed out of fear that you'll reveal what little you know, or they will use you to their own ends. Neither outcome sounds particularly appealing to me, honestly, so that's why I'm now offering you a third option."

"Let me guess: join your crew?" scoffed Robin, rattled and unimpressed.

"Quite so," grinned Brynlee, unperturbed. "Or at least, stick with us until we've made it out of Alabasta. I mean, no matter how things turn out, we're pirates – we'll probably have to flee the kingdom with the marines hot on our tail. So, you might as well hitch a ride until our next stop, right? And if you decide to stick around after that, well, that decision will be completely up to you."

Robin stayed silent for a minute, letting Brynlee's words sink in and quickly evaluating her options.

"What, exactly, are you offering?" she finally asked.

"Stay with us until we reach Alabasta. Once there, you'll head straight to the Royal Palace, and Princess Vivi herself will take you to see the Poneglyph." She probably should have concerted with Vivi first about that part, but she was improvising a bit at that point. "And once Sir Crocodile is beaten, and Alabasta is saved, then leave with us. You won't get arrested, you'll have a strong crew to protect you, and I can even throw in an absolute guarantee that you'll find more Poneglyphs should you come with us."

Robin's composure cracked slightly. "You know where to find more of them?"

"A few, yes. Some are out of our reach for now, but you're bound to find some very interesting information if you agree to join us."

"And if we run into more Baroque Works agents? Mister 0 isn't known for his forgiving nature – he won't allow me to live knowing I betrayed him," she argued.

"Like I said, Luffy will beat him. But until then, you can just stay out of sight or pretend to play double-agent," shrugged Brynlee. "It's not like we'd force you to join the fights, either. You can do whatever you want. That's what it means to be truly free, isn't it?" Brynlee smiled brightly, offering her hand. "The sea is vast! We're not born in this world to be alone – so let's be friends, hm?"

Robin inhaled sharply, her eyes widening the slightest bit. And then, a breathless, disbelieving chuckle escaped her.

[FEAT UPDATE]

Silver Tongue

Level: 19/20

+1 bonus (Will of D.)

!

!

!

[ABILITY UNLOCKED]

Silver Tongue

Words have power! Once per day, you may use this ability to persuade an intelligent being of absolutely anything.

Brynlee barely had the time to register the unexpected update as Robin suddenly shook her hand, seemingly accepting her offer. The white-haired girl beamed, instantly pulling her back to her feet and, with a swift move, she promptly unlocked the Seastone cuffs and shoved them in her pocket, ignoring the brief wave of dizziness that washed upon her during her brief physical contact with it.

Robin blinked a few times, seemingly taken aback.

"… you're too trusting."

"I trust that you have nothing to lose from sticking with us, and nothing to gain from betraying us," reasoned Brynlee, unable to stop smiling. "Oh, this is great! We're going to have so much fun, you'll see!"

"Fun," repeated Robin, unconvinced.

"Yes! Now come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew!"

Alright, so Robin has officially joined the madness! I'd kind of forgotten just how deeply broken she was pre-Enies Lobby ah ah, she's come such a long way since then! As for the [ABILITY], well, you finally know what happens when a [FEAT] reaches its maximum level! The bonuses simply allow Brynlee to reach that limit faster.

And so, with this wonderful new addition to the crew, I bid you good day, and happy holidays!