The reason Nami was so defiant was because Luffy was there. There was no way he would side with an outsider, right?!
But she hadn't counted on Luffy being completely captivated by Robin's hands.
It was their first time seeing Robin's Devil Fruit power in action. So many hands! Nami and Vivi gasped as a row upon row of hands sprouted below them, gently lifting them and carrying them out of the room.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Is that a Devil Fruit power?"
The door shut in their faces, followed by the unmistakable, merciless click of the lock.
Nami and Vivi stood outside the door, staring at each other in utter bewilderment.
"What does this even mean?"
Nami pointed at the door, her cheeks puffing up with anger. "In broad daylight! What does she think she's doing in my room?!"
Vivi was just as confused, but her intuition told her that for that woman to be so flustered, it couldn't be over something trivial. She ventured a guess, "Maybe it's something very important?"
Inside, Luffy was staring intently at Robin's hands, not blinking.
"Is that a Devil Fruit ability?"
"The Hana Hana no Mi. It allows me to manifest parts of my body like blooming flowers."
Robin leaned back against the door, catching her breath slightly.
"That's so cool." Visions of combat applications were already flashing in Luffy's mind—sprouting hands anywhere to grab or choke an enemy? That would be awesome.
Only then did he remember Robin had pulled him in here.
"Why did we have to come into the room?" It felt a bit mysterious. Luffy guessed it was probably related to the characters he had just written.
Robin looked at Luffy with an expression of utmost seriousness. "Captain, where did you learn to write those characters you just used?"
She pointed at the characters in the notebook.
"Well, how do I put it? I was just looking at the characters in your notebook and suddenly felt like I could write them that way." Luffy scratched his head, telling the truth, but he couldn't explain the existence of his [Language Derivation] talent.
Robin stared intently into his eyes, searching for even a hint of deception, but all she saw was open, honest confusion.
Was this what they called a genius?
But as far as Robin knew, she was likely the last person in the world who could read the Poneglyphs. Now, seeing Luffy, she felt an inexplicable sense of kinship. Suddenly, it felt like coming on this journey might have been the right decision.
Robin leaned in closer, bending slightly to bring her face to Luffy's level and lowering her voice.
"Listen, Luffy. You absolutely must not let anyone else see this writing. And you must not tell anyone—anyone—including your crewmates, that you can write it. Do you understand?"
"Uh... got it."
She was too close. From this angle and distance, Robin's exquisite features were perfectly framed before his eyes. Luffy felt a sudden warmth, mainly because doing anything other than studying during study time meant punishments were soon to follow.
Unlike Nami's fresh scent or the soft, milky fragrance around Vivi, Robin seemed to carry an indescribably pleasant aroma.
"I understand, Robin."
Luffy gently pushed her back. In terms of height, Robin had the advantage. The tall, statuesque woman's gaze looked down upon him.
That form of address made Robin pause once again.
She belatedly realized that from the moment they met until now, she had never formally introduced herself.
"How do you know my name?"
A look of scrutiny and inquiry returned to Robin's eyes. Princess Vivi only knew her codename, Miss All Sunday.
Because the name Nico Robin was far too notorious.
Branded a demon of Ohara in her childhood, called the "Devil Child," her bounty was even higher than Luffy's 50 million Beri—it was 79 million Beri.
Luffy's heart skipped a beat. Not good, he thought, I said it without thinking.
Steeling himself, he maintained an expression of pure, unbothered confidence. "I just know, that's all. Aren't you Nico Robin? Why wouldn't I know?"
Robin was momentarily speechless.
Did this man truly have no idea what this name signified?
"Anyway, let's keep going with the lesson."
Luffy had already bent over the desk again.
Looking at him, Robin instead broke into a bright, genuine smile.
This was getting even more interesting.
...
By the afternoon, the raging storm had finally subsided. Sunlight broke through the clouds, spilling once more over the Going Merry and making the puddles on the deck glitter.
Nami and Vivi sat on the deck loungers, finally having a chance to resume their earlier, interrupted conversation. Though Nami was clearly still irritated, shooting occasional glares at Robin, who sat quietly reading a book not far away.
"Oh, right. I've been curious about this," Vivi asked, pointing ahead. "Is Luffy always like this?"
Luffy, finally having a bit of free time after the mental ordeal, was now squatting at the other end of the deck, his eyes fixed intently on Vivi's mount.
A duck named Carue.
Carue felt all its feathers prickle under the stare. Its animal instincts sensed a rather unsettling kind of appetite radiating from the human.
Vivi found it hard to connect Luffy with the image of a major pirate worth over 50 million Beri.
In her mind, major pirates were either menacingly fierce or possessed an imposing aura. Luffy seemed more like an overly energetic teenage boy.
Mentioning Luffy perked Nami up a bit. She also felt a desire to assert a bit of seniority in front of Vivi and Robin.
This sentiment suddenly reminded Nami of Luffy's childhood friend, Uta.
Am I turning into you?
"He's only gotten a bit more serious recently."
Nami shook her head, her tone feigning disdain, though the corner of her mouth twitched upward involuntarily. "But, starting from the East Blue, the opponents he's defeated would probably shock you if I listed them."
She cleared her throat, preparing to recount Luffy's glorious record. But then, Robin closed her book, stood up gracefully, and walked over. A perfectly polite, interested smile was on her face. "Oh? That sounds fascinating. I'd love to hear about Mr. Luffy's stories too. May I listen?"
Nami's face fell instantly. She huffed, "Why should I tell you? Are we that close?"
Unperturbed, Robin smiled slightly. From somewhere, she produced a small purse and gave it a gentle shake, letting out the crisp, delightful clink of gold coins.
"A small token of thanks. Consider it payment for the information, perhaps?"
Nami's eyes instantly locked onto the purse. Her willpower struggled for a mere 0.1 seconds before she snatched it.
She coughed, adopting the magnanimous air of someone bestowing a great favor.
"Hmph, since you're so sincerely eager to hear, I suppose I can be generous and tell you."
And so, Nami began her tale, starting from their encounter with Buggy the Clown, covering the Krieg Pirates, the Arlong Pirates, and even the lesser-known "Kuro of a Hundred Plans"... He'd even defeated two Marine captains.
Meanwhile, Luffy, staring at the duck, suddenly felt a pang of hunger. He turned and shouted towards the kitchen, "Sanji! I want to eat fish!"
"Idiot Captain! The fish in the fridge ran out ages ago! The last of the stock went into your stomach at lunch!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Luffy frowned, licking his lips. His gaze then turned, slow and thoughtful, towards the now highly alert Carue.
He had an idea.
***
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