Under the fireworks and colorful lights, the year comes to an end on the island of Ohara. Robin gazes at the illuminated sky with a wide smile, holding her uncle's hand tightly in hers. It's the first time in her life that she can watch this spectacle with her family, able to celebrate and shout 'Happy New Year' with the entire town.
Usually, she watches from afar as the island's population cheers. But those days of solitude are now over. The sky lights up with a brilliant glow, as bright as her future.
On January 2nd, Robin heads towards Stella's house, wrapped in a thick coat. The door is heavy for a child to push, but she manages to enter the empty house with some effort. The temperature inside is slightly warmer than outside, but lighting a fire would be a good idea to prevent the Den Den Mushi from suffering in the freezing cold. At least, that's what she tells herself before noticing something strange near the vivarium. The light is on, and the snails inside don't seem to be affected by the ambient cold.
Carefully, the child opens the glass door of the vivarium and is greeted by a wave of warmth. Not wanting the heat to escape, she quickly closes the door while examining the inside and outside of the structure more closely. After a few seconds, she notices strange pipes emerging from the ground on the side of the vivarium, leading inside. A thermal system using the heat from the ground? But normally, it shouldn't produce this much warmth given the current temperatures… Maybe there's a boiler somewhere in the house? She'll have to ask Stella how it works.
Taking off one of her gloves, she brings her hand close to one of the rubber-covered pipes. It's faint, but a small warmth can be felt despite the insulation. Relieved that the Den Den Mushi aren't at risk of freezing to death, the child glances at the clock in the kitchen. It's almost time to call Stella.
Rummaging through one of the large cabinets framing the snails' habitat, she easily finds a transponder and places it on the coffee table in front of the unlit fireplace. Now, she needs to convince one of the Den Den Mushi to help her make the call. If she remembers correctly, she needs to use the bigger ones. Gently, she opens the vivarium door slightly, just enough to stick her head in without letting the warmth escape too quickly.
"Uh… Hello. I need someone to call Stella. Could one of you help me?" She asks in a small voice. Aoi and Maru are the first to approach, making small welcoming noises, while the adults and other young ones watch her with varying degrees of curiosity and suspicion. They remember seeing the little girl a few days ago with their owner, but that's not enough to immediately trust her.
Robin doesn't know what to do under the suspicious gazes of the snails. She thought she just had to remember how to use a transponder, but clearly, she also needs to prove herself trustworthy.
"I know you're wary of me, but I would never hurt you. Stella even asked me to take care of you. Look." She brandishes the letter written to her by the island's queen as proof, hoping it will satisfy the snails, who carefully observe the cursive writing. Do Den Den Mushi even know how to read? Robin wonders, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks as she reflects on the absurdity of the situation, hoping no one notices.
To her relief, the Den Den Mushi begin to relax, their gazes shifting from suspicion to curiosity. A large dark blue and black snail approaches her, accompanied by another one, entirely white. Both mollusks look at her intently before exchanging glances and nodding, making a small sound. Robin remains still as the two Den Den Mushi move forward until they stand in front of her, waiting for her to use them for the call. Initially hesitant, the future archaeologist doesn't dare move until Aoi and Maru come to her rescue with small encouraging sounds.
"Uh… You… You're willing to help me?" She asks to make sure she's not misinterpreting the situation. She watches as the snails nod and make soft, high-pitched noises. Robin immediately breaks into a smile.
"Thank you so much! I hope I won't mess up; I'll do my best, I promise!" The two adult snails smile back at her, amused.
Without wasting more time, Robin carefully picks them up and places them on the coffee table in the living room. But without a fire in the fireplace, the room is much colder than the vivarium, and she notices the two snails starting to shiver from the cold.
Panicking, she rummages through the large cabinet, searching through the shelves, drawers, and boxes until she finds two small coats made of white fur. Without hesitation, she dresses the snails in the warm clothing, taking care not to hurt them while handling them. After a few seconds of figuring out how to do it, she breathes a sigh of relief and steps back to admire the two Den Den Mushi in their fluffy fur coats.
The young archaeologist wonders what kind of animal the fur came from, too long to be rabbit fur but too soft and light to be sheep's wool. Perhaps it comes from an animal she doesn't know? After all, Stella is a great explorer; it wouldn't be surprising if she had discovered an animal with this type of fur.
Satisfied that the two little creatures won't freeze during the call, she grabs the transponder and connects the two snails to it. Stella had taught her that white snails allow anonymous calls that can't be listened to. And since both snails presented themselves together, it means she must use them both. Relieved that all the connections are in place, she glances at the clock in the kitchen. It's almost time.
To release some of her growing anxiety, she exhales again and begins to dial the number written on the sheet, hoping she doesn't make a mistake and reach someone else. The ringing fills the quiet room, and Robin feels her heart pounding, racing with each unanswered ring. Did she dial the wrong number? The wrong day or time? What if something happened to Stella? Should she go and warn Clover?
Her mind fills with more and more questions until someone finally picks up on the other end. Robin breathes a sigh of relief and prepares to speak, but the voice on the other end isn't Stella's. It's a deep, shouting man's voice.
"Hello? Who is this? I hope this is important; I've got better things to do on my vacation than answer the phone!"
Panicking, Robin hangs up. Did she dial the wrong number? Yet she's sure she got it right. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she dials the number on the sheet again, checking several times that she's not making a mistake this time.
The phone is picked up quickly, but it's the man again.
"Yeah! What now?! If you dare hang up and call again, I swear you'll regret it!"
The child freezes in fear. This time, she's sure it's the right number and the right time. So why is a man answering? And his voice is so scary. But she can't panic. Maybe Stella isn't far away and this stranger answered for her, or… is Stella in trouble?
"If you're not going to say anything, I'm hanging up."
"No, no! Wait, I…" Her voice fades as she realizes she doesn't even know what to say to this man. But the stranger seems to be talkative.
"A kid? How did you get this number?" He asks, sounding less shouty and maybe attempting a gentler tone?
"Uh… I… It's… Queen Stella Star gave me this number. Do you know where she is?"
"Stella? Why do you want to know where she is?" The voice grows more suspicious.
"Well… She asked me to call today at 3 PM…" She replies in a small voice. Is she right to tell this stranger that?
The man hums, muttering something under his breath.
"She did mention something like that yesterday. Never mind." Robin frowns as the voice becomes more curious. "Tell me, kid, who are you to that old fool? Her adopted daughter?" The young archaeologist blushes deeply.
"No, you've got it all wrong! I-" A loud noise comes from the other end, as if a door slammed violently against a wall.
"What do you think you're doing?! Who gave you permission to answer my Den Den, funking macaque?!" A familiar voice exclaims, recognizable to the young archaeologist.
"You weren't answering the damn thing! It wouldn't stop ringing!"
"So? You could have come to get me! You have legs, use them!"
"And you? What were you doing that you weren't there to answer?"
"I, sir, was taking care of the little one! You know, the child you claimed as your grandson without asking! By the way, go take care of him, like the grandpa you claim to be!"
"At least I'm not spoiling him with a thousand toys! I'll make a real man out of him!"
"Wait until he can walk and talk before you start putting him through your inhumane training!"
Robin listens, dumbfounded, as the two adults bicker. She hears Stella grab the man and throw him into the hallway, slamming the door shut. The queen grumbles before taking a deep breath and returning to the Den Den Mushi.
"Sorry, princess, that you had to hear that. I lost track of time, and that idiot answered in my place." Says Stella, her voice gentle but irritated.
Robin doesn't know how to respond. She feels like she just witnessed something quite rare and feels almost guilty for having seen Stella, who is usually so calm, lose her temper.
"I… Uh… It's… it's fine. I was a little surprised, but I'm okay." She hears Stella hum, a sign that she's trying to shake off her irritation.
"Sorry again if that idiot scared you. He yells a lot, but he's as gentle as a lamb." Said Stella in a soft and reassuring voice, which relaxed the future archaeologist. "By the way, I see you managed to make the call with a white Den Den Mushi. You remembered, I'm proud of you." She added cheerfully.
A small smile appeared on Robin's lips, and her cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment.
"T-Thank you, but I didn't do much, the Den Den helped me a lot." She replied timidly, looking at the snails, who smiled back at her, pleased not to have been forgotten.
"I'm sure they helped and guided you, but you shouldn't downplay yourself. You listened carefully and followed the instructions I gave you. You can be proud of that." The child bit her lip shyly. She was happy to be complimented, especially by someone she respected so much.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." She murmured timidly. She heard Stella chuckle softly before a loud thud was heard.
"The kid pooped, come change him!" Stella groaned at the crude language before turning to glare at the man holding a baby at arm's length, his face twisted in disgust.
"Watch your language, there are kids listening! And it's not like you've never done it before! Handle it!" The man's face soured even more.
"I haven't done it in years! Besides, it's beneath my rank!"
"What? You're backing down in front of a simple diaper? I thought you were afraid of nothing," Stella said with a mocking laugh.
A silent staring contest began between the two adults for several long seconds, until the baby began to cry, uncomfortable in this awkward position with a full diaper.
The adults' behavior changed instantly. The man awkwardly cradled the baby in his arms, but he shook him more than anything. Stella quickly grabbed the baby to stop the rough handling. With a few soft words and gentle rocking, the baby calmed down and began to coo, grabbing a strand of white hair.
"There, little one. Everything's fine. You're safe, don't be scared of the grumpy big guy." She murmured softly before giving the man a mocking glance, who now stood with crossed arms, pouting.
Rolling her eyes in amusement, Stella turned to the Den Den where Robin was waiting silently.
"Sorry, princess, but we'll have to cut our conversation short. We'll talk again next week, okay?" Stella asked, not noticing the man frown at the nickname.
"Uh… Yes! Yes, that's fine!" The child answered, a little taken aback.
"Next week, then."
"See you next week, Stella!" Robin said, hanging up before hearing the man's question or the argument that would follow.
Feeling happy but a little confused, she removed all the equipment and coats from the Den Den Mushi before putting them back in their warm vivarium. Before leaving, she made sure the snails had enough food and water. She promised herself to ask Stella how the heating system worked, just in case it needed attention.
The following week was much calmer. They were able to talk for longer, and Robin was relieved to learn that the vivarium's heating system worked automatically, so she didn't need to worry about it. Reassured by this, she focused on what interested her most: archaeology and history.
With each passing week, Robin asked Stella more and more questions, eager to learn as her exam approached. Their weekly calls became a ritual, a breath of fresh air for Robin, who felt quite lonely on the island.
However, despite their growing bond, Stella never mentioned when she would return. Robin sensed that there was something left unsaid, a mystery surrounding her prolonged absence, and she couldn't help but think it had something to do with the man and the baby she had heard during their first call. But she held back from asking. She respected the queen deeply and knew that her private life was none of her business.
Snow gives way to spring, and the lush vegetation and blooming flowers return, attracting a multitude of insects to the garden. Robin starts feeling anxious, as her exam is fast approaching—only two weeks away, to be precise.
Unable to calm down within the walls of the library, she takes refuge in the blossoming garden with a book on Devil Fruits on her lap for distraction, basking in the sunshine and floral scents.
She pays little attention to her surroundings until a butterfly lands on the pages of her book. Drawn by the blue shimmer, Robin looks up to discover a black and blue butterfly right in front of her. Her body tenses slightly as she recognizes the insect that the queen seems to fear. She doesn't understand why Stella is afraid of it, but this close proximity allows Robin to examine it closely. At first glance, it's just an ordinary butterfly: large eyes, two antennae, two pairs of slowly flapping wings, a black body, and three pairs of legs contrasting against the white pages. It's... a normal butterfly.
A small giggle of disbelief escapes her lips as she imagines the queen, armed with a sword, facing her greatest foe—a butterfly! Her laughter becomes almost uncontrollable as she pictures an absurd and fierce battle between these two unlikely adversaries. She manages to calm down, wiping the corners of her slightly teary eyes. The whole situation is utterly ridiculous. Stella can protect the island with her strength and face dangerous people, yet she runs from a harmless insect.
Amused, Robin watches the butterfly that hasn't moved from its spot.
"You know you're incredible. The most powerful person on the island is afraid of you. That's quite a power." She says with a smile as the butterfly gently flaps its wings, almost as if listening.
A tiny proboscis unfurls and begins tapping on the paper, searching for water or nectar.
"You won't find anything to eat here. There are plenty of flowers around. Why are you here?"
The butterfly continues licking the page, focusing mainly on an illustration of a Devil Fruit resembling a blue peach.
"That's not a real fruit, unless you're trying to drink the ink." She chuckles. But the insect persists.
"Do you want to learn how to read, perhaps? I'll read it to you."
She starts reading aloud the passage describing the fruit. By the time she finishes the page, Robin continues explaining the Devil Fruits, their uses, and drawbacks. It's actually good practice for her exam.
"Having a superpower must be really cool! But you know what I really want?" She asks the little butterfly, still perched on her book. "My biggest dream is to discover the Void Century!" The butterfly flaps its wings a little faster, though Robin doesn't notice.
"Can you imagine an entire century of history erased? There are no books left about that time!" She says with a hint of anger. "But there are Poneglyphs, stones inscribed in an ancient language. And guess what?" She asks, addressing the butterfly, which seems oddly attentive. "I can read them!" The insect flutters its wings twice, and Robin takes it as encouragement.
"Yes! I'm one of the few people who can decipher them!" She says, excited. But her smile fades a little. "I just hope I can graduate and join my mom to help with her research on the Void Century," She finishes, worried about the upcoming exam.
She sighs as her anxiety creeps back in. Frowning, she looks at the butterfly still perched on her book, preventing her from turning the pages to continue reading.
"Come on, fly away. I have a book to finish." She tries to wave the insect off with her hand, but it refuses to budge. "Please, go." But the insect stubbornly stays in place. Sighing, Robin extends her finger near the butterfly's legs to invite it to climb on, intending to place it on a flower.
The butterfly flaps its wings frantically, striking Robin's hand with its powdery wings. She frowns; the impact doesn't hurt, but it's frustrating.
"Stop acting like a child! Don't you have flowers to pollinate or another butterfly to court?"
As if understanding, the butterfly finally flies away. Relieved, Robin resumes her reading, but suddenly a flower falls onto the pages. Surprised, she looks up to see the butterfly fluttering in front of her again.
"What's this?" She asks, but the butterfly flits over to a nearby flower. It digs its claws into the petals, beats its wings wildly, and rips off the flower's crown. In disbelief, Robin watches as it returns to drop the petals onto her open book, leaving small damp spots on the paper.
"Stop it!" She exclaims, quickly removing the petals and closing the book before more can fall onto it. "What are you doing?" A flower crashes onto her head.
Frustrated and incredulous, she jumps to her feet as the butterfly hovers just in front of her face before flying away a few meters, only to return along the same path. Confused, Robin watches as it repeats this back-and-forth pattern, until the butterfly brushes against her face and then flies off again.
"What do you want? Do you want me to follow you?" The insect hovers a few meters away, seemingly waiting for Robin to move.
Still hesitant, she takes a step toward the butterfly, which moves back by a meter. A change in behavior? Could it really want her to follow? Unsure, Robin decides to follow the strange butterfly, her book tucked under her arm. She knows that some animals sometimes ask humans to follow them, but never a butterfly.
She walks through patches of flowers and increasingly dense bushes, but the butterfly ensures she can follow. Their little journey continues until they reach the edge of a lake, bordered by water lilies floating on the surface of the calm water. The butterfly finally lands on a partially grounded water lily, half in and half out of the water. Robin frowns and crosses her arms.
"And now?" The butterfly flutters up a meter before settling back on the flower. Rolling her eyes, the young archaeologist steps closer.
"Don't tell me you want me to help you eat this flower?" She says, annoyed that she's trekked through branches and thorns only to be used as a handy tool.
She crouches before the large pink flower, composed of hundreds of petals.
"You're not planning on burying me under petals, are you?" The butterfly flaps its wings once, as if teasing her, before flying off into the sky.
"Hey! Where are you going?" But the insect doesn't return, using the blue shimmer of its wings to disappear into the sky. Robin can't believe it: she got tricked by a butterfly!
Frustrated, she kicks the large flower, which… rolls? Surprised, she watches the flower roll across the grass before falling into the water and floating on the surface, still within reach. Curious, she crouches, sets her book on the grass, and reaches out to grab it. But its weight forces her to use both hands to lift it from the water and set it beside her. Her eyes carefully examine the strange pink flower, noticing a stem growing from the side rather than underneath, and the flower is far too heavy to be normal.
As she handles it, she notices more and more similarities to a fruit: a vivid green stem, a fully round shape, with the petals giving it the appearance of a strange melon. Then, it clicks: it's a Devil Fruit!
At first shocked, she nearly drops it, startled by the rare and unique find. Following that butterfly wasn't such a waste after all.
A wide, excited smile spreads across her face as she inspects it from every angle. But… what now? Does she leave it here? Eat it? Bring it back to the village?
In truth, she's tempted to eat it—who would say no to a superpower? But it's best to check its effects first. Luckily, she has the book with her, saving her a trip back to the library to hide it.
Placing the fruit next to her, she grabs the book and quickly flips through it until she finds a drawing of the fruit.
The Hana Hana no Mi, the Flower-Flower Fruit. Apparently, it allows the user to create copies of parts of their body using flower petals. The number of copies depends on the user's strength. But the main drawback is that any injury sustained by the copies affects the user. So, she'll need to be careful, or she could get hurt…
But… it sounds amazing!
Robin grows even more excited: with this fruit, she'll be able to read multiple books at once! She'll save so much time and learn so many things quickly! It's exactly what she needs for her exam! She can't swim anymore? So what? She can make up for it with extra arms if she slips.
Without hesitation, she grabs the fruit and takes a bite. A disgusting taste fills her mouth and nose, almost making her vomit. She expected it, but not to this extent. Tears well up in her eyes as she swallows the bite. The taste doesn't go away immediately, and she sticks out her tongue in disgust.
Nothing happens, aside from her stomach complaining with small jolts of pain. Disgusted, she drops the rest of the fruit and kneels by the water to rinse her mouth with the clear lake water. She dips her hands into the water without paying much attention to the slight weakness tingling in her fingers.
The taste finally fades away, much to the child's relief, and she wipes the corner of her mouth with her sleeve before slowly standing up. A slight weakness in her legs worries her a little. She hopes it will pass.
Taking a deep breath, she straightens up and looks at her hands with hope. She doesn't know exactly how it works, but she's eager to try. Stretching her hands out in front of her, she tries to make something appear—an arm? A leg? She's not exactly sure, but she concentrates as hard as she can, hoping something will appear as if by magic.
Nothing happens. Frustrated, she tries again, thinking of an arm. But still, nothing. Irritated by her failure, she grabs the book to see if there's anything on how to use it. Apparently, you need to visualize what you want to create—imagine the limb to be copied with its shape, proportions, solidity, etc.
Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes and imagines an entire arm. Feeling her way blindly, she touches her own arm to feel the bones, muscles, tendons, and nerves. The elbow joint and each finger, how the muscles work with every movement of her hand and arm. Confident that she's imagined her arm correctly, she now pictures it in front of her, emerging from the grass. A floral scent fills the air, greatly calming her stress.
Hesitant, she slowly opens her eyes and sees... an arm? A little crooked, with missing fingers and hollows and bumps showing where there are no muscles or, conversely, where the muscles are too large. In short, it's not perfect, but it's something.
Happy, she closes her eyes again to imagine it in more detail. The second attempt is a little better. This time, there are indeed five fingers, and the muscles under the skin are a bit less deformed, but she still can't make the arm move remotely. She tries again and again until she finally creates an arm like her own that can move freely.
Overjoyed, she jumps up and down, screaming with excitement, not paying attention to how close she is to the edge of the water. But luckily, she realizes and calmly steps away from it. Except... the sudden appearance of a blue and black butterfly right in front of her startles her, and her foot slips on the damp grass, sending her small body tumbling toward the water.
Splash!
The cold paralyzes her body as she sees the insect just above her. A shiver of horror runs through her. She feels like it did it on purpose, wanting her to fall into the water. She struggles, whimpering in fear as the surface moves further away from her. She quickly touches the bottom, which is only a meter deep, but she can't move. The surface is so close, yet so far.
Her lungs hurt more and more, and her heart beats frantically with panic. Is she really going to die like this? Why? What did she do wrong?! The air in her lungs finally escapes from her mouth. Her blue eyes watch the bubbles rise without her as her vision grows darker and darker.
Mom...
She doesn't feel the hand that grabs her arm and pulls her to the surface. A man pulls her out of the water and throws her onto the grass.
"Robin?! Robin, can you hear me?" The man shouts, panicked as he sees his niece, very pale. Without wasting a moment, Oran opens the child's mouth, tilting her toward the ground to expel the water from her throat. He places his ear on her back to try and hear a heartbeat. But there's nothing.
Trying to stay calm, he starts performing CPR. The seconds drag on, agonizing for the adult.
"Please, please, breathe Robin, come on!" One final push makes the small heart start beating again and causes a violent cough from the child, who spits the water onto the ground, her body trembling.
"Breathe, Robin, it's over, everything's okay now, you're safe."
Coughing and spitting out the water that burns her lungs, Robin slowly turns to her uncle, who looks at her with concern, as if afraid she might disappear.
Her tears of pain turn into tears of sadness and relief. She throws herself into the adult's arms, sobbing uncontrollably from the terror she felt at the bottom of the lake. Oran holds her tightly, trying his best to comfort the terrified child.
Robin buries her head in her uncle's shoulder, but a small noise catches her attention. There, two meters away, the butterfly slowly flaps its wings. The insect seems to look her directly in the eyes, and it gives the impression that it's angry that she can still breathe. A cold, terrifying shiver paralyzes her body.
Her trembling becomes uncontrollable, even as her uncle stands, carrying her in his arms and continuing to talk to her to calm her down. But a wall seems to block her ears from hearing anything. Dying by accident is one thing, but dying because someone really wanted you dead is another.
She now understands why Stella is afraid of this butterfly. She's not afraid for herself, but for others. The child buries her face in the adult's neck to avoid seeing her tormentor.
Oran begins to walk toward the house to give Robin a warm bath, to warm up the trembling child in his arms, unaware that her trembling is not only caused by the cold.
Hundreds of kilometers away, in a flower-filled garden buzzing with blue and black butterflies, a figure observed with anger a small spherical transmission device sitting on a wrought-iron garden table. The silhouette of the little girl with black hair was disappearing into the arms of a man. How dare she survive?
"Warcury!" Commanded the cold, authoritative voice of the figure, shattering the silence of the garden. Instantly, the image in the sphere changed to show an elderly man with a balding head and a large white mustache, his eyes filled with devotion and fear.
"Yes, Imu-sama?" Warcury replied respectfully, standing straight before the image of his master.
"Send a fleet to Ohara Island. Search for a certain child named Robin. Find her mother and track anyone seeking to uncover the Void Century. Eliminate them all." Imu's voice resonated like a sharp blade, icy and relentless, leaving no room for disobedience.
Warcury solemnly nodded, his features etched with the gravity of the mission. "At your command, Imu-sama." The call ended abruptly.
Imu gazed at his/her reflection in the glass sphere, his/her piercing eyes filling with contempt. "You've played your part very well so far, Miss Star. But your time of peace is over. It's time to pay for my clemency. You shouldn't have tried to protect those traitors to the balance of my world."
Imu clenched his/her fists, the butterflies around him/her seemingly reflecting his/her silent rage. The balance of the world he/she had meticulously constructed must not be threatened by curious children and daring scholars. The peace he/she imposed would suffer no dissent, and those who dared to stand against his/her reign would face the consequences.