Water 7.
"Robin, look at this!" Nami, wearing a bright orange short-sleeved T-shirt and indigo denim hot pants, leaned over the jewelry store counter, pointing at a shell-embedded bracelet inside the glass case.
Nico Robin was dressed in a smoky gray linen short-sleeved shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing delicate collarbones. Her deep khaki cargo shorts were casually rolled up to her knees. Just as she turned toward the flower shop at the street corner upon hearing Nami's voice, a hand carrying the scent of tobacco suddenly covered her mouth. The pressure wasn't harsh, but it carried an undeniable force.
"Mmm—" Robin's pupils constricted sharply as her body instinctively tensed. Her high heels scraped a half-circle on the cobblestones before she was yanked into a narrow alley. When her back hit the mottled brick wall, she finally saw who stood before her—Ryan, looking down at her with his usual amused smirk.
Robin struggled free from the hand covering her mouth, beads of sweat already forming at her temples. Her voice carried a barely suppressed tremor. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Nothing much. Just catching up with an old friend." Ryan pressed his left hand against the brick wall beside Robin's ear while his right fingers lightly twirled a lock of her black hair that draped over her shoulder, wrapping it around his finger.
Seeing Nico Robin shopping with Nami had suddenly piqued his interest, prompting him to pull her aside for a private chat. The corner of Ryan's lips curled higher at Robin's visibly resistant expression. "With the history between us, must you be so cold?"
"There is no history between us."
"Oh?" Ryan chuckled, leaning closer until his fingers slid from her hair to her chin, tilting it upward. "Then I suppose I'll have to refresh your memory."
Nico Robin shuddered violently, instinctively trying to lean back, only to find the wall blocking her escape.
"Remember Enies Lobby?" Ryan's thumb traced along Robin's jawline, gliding down her slender neck before pausing at the collar of her shirt, teasing it open slightly to reveal a sun-kissed shoulder. His voice dripped with mockery. "You still owe me a favor."
Robin stiffened, meeting Ryan's taunting gaze. She bit her lower lip as her collar was tugged aside but didn't resist, turning her face away. "Hurry up."
On the bridge of Enies Lobby, this man had appeared out of nowhere, using that favor to ensure he wouldn't interfere against Luffy and the others.
"So reluctant?" Ryan's hand lingered at Robin's collarbone, not venturing further.
"Who wouldn't be when forced?" Robin lifted her eyes, her gaze steady with its usual calmness, though a hint of stubbornness lurked beneath. "But I know my debt. Once it's repaid, we're even."
"Even?" Ryan suddenly laughed lowly, leaning in until his nose nearly brushed her forehead. "You think it's that easy to settle? I'm just here to collect interest."
Robin's expression shifted abruptly. She wanted to demand, "What do you really want?" or argue, "Favors have limits," but the words died before they could leave her lips.
An immeasurable time later, Ryan finally pulled back slightly, his thumb grazing Robin's reddened lips as he murmured hoarsely, "This favor—I'll claim it for a lifetime."
Robin jerked her face away, chest heaving. She opened her mouth but found herself speechless.
"Robin!" Nami's frantic voice suddenly echoed from the alley entrance.
"Seems we can't linger." Ryan's hand slid toward Robin's waist, his tone teasing. "Your little friend is looking for you."
"Enough." Robin recoiled, her voice icy. "Don't waste any more time."
This man's twisted amusement lay in watching her fluster, like toying with prey.
"So impatient." Ryan's smirk widened.
Robin's expression darkened completely. Just as she was about to speak, she abruptly lifted her chin, jaw tightening as she swallowed her words, teeth sinking into her lower lip to stifle the fury bubbling within.
....
The Straw Hat Pirates' temporary lodgings.
The wooden door creaked violently as Nami burst in, her hair disheveled and eyes red-rimmed from panic. She braced herself against the doorframe, gasping for breath. "Robin's gone! It's been two hours—I searched every alley nearby and didn't see a trace!"
The room's atmosphere instantly froze.
"Robin's missing?!" Luffy's half-eaten meat leg dropped to the floor with a thud. His cheerful expression collapsed as he scrambled to his feet, limbs flailing. "It's gotta be CP9 again! Didn't get enough last time, huh?!"
"Luffy!" Sanji, usually composed, flung his apron onto the table. "This isn't the time for fighting! Robin-san is alone—"
"And this isn't the time for debates either," Zoro cut in, eyes snapping open from where he'd been resting against the wall. "We split up. I'll check Wreckage Island."
"I'll take the harbor!" Sanji didn't even bother arguing with Zoro, snatching his jacket and rushing out. As he passed Luffy, he barked, "Luffy, take Chopper and search Main Street—ask everyone!"
"Got it!" Luffy, though still energetic, had shed his earlier agitation. He snatched his straw hat from the ground and plopped it onto his head. "Chopper, let's go!"
Just then, the door creaked open gently. Robin stood at the entrance, strands of hair clinging to her flushed cheeks. One button of her shirt was missing, exposing a faint red mark on her neck. She blinked at the tense scene before her, voice slightly hoarse. "Everyone... what's going on?"
"Robin!" Nami's head whipped up, tears instantly spilling over as she lunged forward to grip Robin's arm. "Where were you?! I was going crazy with worry!"
Seeing their reddened eyes and frantic states, warmth flooded Robin's chest. She smoothed her disheveled hair, her tone still uneven. "It's nothing. I got lost in the alleys and took a detour."
"Lost?" Nami's skeptical gaze lingered on Robin's neck, where the mark stood out starkly against her skin. "Your neck—"
"Oh, I just scraped it by accident." Robin avoided Nami's eyes, instinctively pressing a hand to her neck. Her fingertips brushed skin that still burned with the memory of Ryan's touch.
"You're back—that's what matters!" Luffy, ever oblivious, simply grinned wide, slapping Robin's shoulder. "Next time you're lost, just yell! We've got loud voices—we'll hear you!"
Chopper had already scampered up Robin's leg to perch on her shoulder, his tiny nose sniffing at her neck. His round eyes sparkled. "Robin's not hurt! That's great! I have band-aids—they'll make it better!"
As the crew crowded around her with overlapping concern—Sanji rushing to boil water in the kitchen, Zoro sheathing his sword in the corner, Luffy offering the dropped meat leg—Robin felt the shadows stirred by Ryan's "lifetime debt" gradually fade.
That man's intentions were indeed unfathomable. But the people surrounding her now? They were the light she would protect at all costs.
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