You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
A gentle breeze blew, and the waves whispered softly.
As the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the window and scattered into the clean room, Robin blinked her eyes in the dim light.
"Ah!"
Robin sat up in bed with a look of fear on her face. The strap slid down to her arm, revealing the snowy expanse of her chest rising and falling with each breath.
Unfortunately, this beautiful scene of morning light went unnoticed by anyone. The room was quiet, with only the sound of her own breathing echoing in her ears.
"I remember being knocked away by Kuma, flying in the sky for two days, and finally crashing unconscious into a small mountain... Where am I?"
Furrowing her brow slightly, Robin adjusted her clothes while taking in the layout of the room.
Years of wandering had forged her strong heart, and after a moment of tension, Robin quickly calmed down.
It was an ordinary bedroom, located on the second floor near the window. The brown window shutters had been blown open by the wind at some point, causing the window curtains to gently sway like water.
Looking out the window, she saw a white sandy beach, with the endless blue sea and sky. The mild breeze carried a hint of sea salt, reassuring Robin that she was still alive.
"Is this... a girl's room?"
In the corner of the room, perpendicular to the bed, a bright yellow wooden dressing table stood. Seeing the pink bear hairpin on the table, Robin couldn't help but smile.
She used to like hairpins like this one, typical of young girls.
But she never bought them.
Not because she didn't have the money, but because she knew that anything that drew attention to herself would put her in danger.
Thinking of this, Robin couldn't help but feel melancholic.
"Rescued again?"
"Perhaps once they know my true identity, they will treat me like those people..."
This wasn't the first time she had been helped, but each time ended less than splendidly.
There were kind old couples who were killed for sheltering her, lecherous men who peeped at her body, and ambitious individuals who sought to use her once they knew of her existence.
And most importantly, there was...
Betrayal!
Despite the bright sunshine outside, Robin felt a chilling coldness in her bones.
Betrayal, and betrayal of others, constituted the majority of her memories.
"I just want to live."
Curling up her body, Robin rested her chin on her knee. Despite her outward strength, she only showed her weakness when alone.
"Right, Trafalgar!"
Suddenly, Robin remembered what had happened before and looked up instantly.
Creak...
The door was pushed open at that moment, and Robin quickly rearranged her expression, pretending to have just woken up as she looked towards the sound.
"Oh, you're awake?!"
Entering the room was a pretty girl with orange hair. Seeing Robin sitting on the bed, she exclaimed joyfully, "Great! The doctor said you were emotionally exhausted from the ordeal, and whether you woke up depended on fate. I didn't expect you to wake up so soon."
"Hehe!"
Robin forced a somewhat awkward smile.
Emotionally exhausted? Well, that's one way to put it...
She had thought Trafalgar Law would be a man she could temporarily take refuge with, but it turned out to be another betrayal she had chosen.
The result... He actually wanted to offer her to the government in order to become a Shichibukai.
Life sure throws unexpected curveballs!
Robin really wanted to grab Law by the collar and demand answers.
Are you out of your mind?!
I understand ancient texts!
I can decipher Poneglyphs!
I can help you become the Pirate King!
Selling me out for a measly Shichibukai position, is the world changing too fast, or am I just falling behind the times?
Men are all idiots!
The young girl who entered the room had no idea what Robin had been through. She placed a basin of water on the floor and turned back, saying, "Oh, I'll go get the doctor. You just wait here!"
"I..."
Before Robin could speak, the young girl slammed the door shut with a bang and hurried away.
"Never mind, I won't cause you any trouble."
Looking at the basin of warm water and the white towel inside, Robin sarcastically sighed.
A few minutes later, the orange-haired girl returned with an elderly man in a white coat. Seeing the old man panting heavily, one would wonder who exactly needed medical attention.
"I'm back!"
Pushing the door open with a hand carrying a medicine box, Koala looked around the empty room, blinking in confusion.
"Huh? Where is everyone?"
...
It was a peaceful little town, and Robin couldn't remember the last time she had seen such a lively place full of laughter and joy.
Children ran and laughed on the streets, not afraid even when passing by her. A mischievous boy even tried to lift her skirt as he passed by, but she tapped his head lightly, making him retreat and make faces from a distance.
"Really, these naughty kids..."
Veins popped on Robin's forehead as she forced a smile, her shoulders showing one by one, swinging fists.
"Wow! Big sister is a monster!"
"Mom, help!"
The group of kids were scared away in an instant, scrambling to escape.
Outside the town, Robin found that the place was actually not very prosperous.
The land was gray-white gravel, and crops struggled to grow.
The white beach wasn't a special landscape of shell corpses, but rather the soil and rocks here were all that color.
"How do people live on such land?"
Turning back to look at the town, Robin suddenly remembered seeing almost every household in the town drying fish by the sea.
But relying solely on fishing for a meager income, one tribute to the Heavenly Tribute could ruin families. The laughter of the children was not something that could be sustained for long.
"Could it be... this isn't an Allied Kingdom Member?"
Robin breathed a sigh of relief.
Not being an Allied Kingdom Member was a good thing.
Not being an Allied Kingdom Member meant there were no government lapdogs.
The World Government preferred these non-Allied Kingdom Member places to live in misery, to serve as a warning to other Allied Kingdom Members of the importance of joining, so they wouldn't invest too much manpower in non-Allied Kingdom Member areas.
But another problem arose... In places that weren't Allied Kingdom Members, defense against pirates was solely up to them.
The beach of the small town was almost a natural landing port, so what would they do if they were attacked by pirates?
Robin grew increasingly curious as she stood on a cliff, silently contemplating. "Should I go back and take a look?"
Her survival instincts kicked in.
A piece of land that wasn't an Allied Kingdom Member but could also resist pirate invasions, allowing the people to live in peace and happiness. Where else could be a more perfect hiding place?
"Maybe I should go back and ask that young girl... I could use the excuse of feeling troubled and needing to clear my mind?"
Robin muttered to herself.
At that moment...
"No, I don't think it's necessary to go through all that trouble, Nico Robin."
Exhale...
A gentle breeze passed by, tousling her hair.
But unlike the sea breeze blowing from the shore, this breeze condensed and slowly accumulated in front of her, gradually taking on a humanoid shape.
"Who are you?!"
Robin's nerves tensed instantly, her slightly parted lips incredibly enticing, her expression blank.
"It's you!"
In this era, if one were to ask who posed the greatest threat to the government... Perhaps anyone would have answered years ago.
"Naturally, it's that 'Devil Child' Nico Robin! She was only eight years old when the government put an 80 Million Belly bounty on her head. It's said that she holds the forbidden knowledge inherited from Ohara, enough to destroy the world!"
However, as Robin had lived in hiding for many years, her story gradually faded from people's memories, only circulating in the Underground World.
But since the end of last year's Levely, a new threat has been brought to the forefront.
The Revolutionary Army!
An organization attempting to overthrow the World Government!
Their nature is different from pirates because generally, pirates don't actively seek to attack the government or the Marines, but the Revolutionary Army seeks to instigate the overthrow of national governments.
Considered by the World Government as the biggest threat to world stability!
And standing before her at this moment was the man recognized by the government as the "most wicked criminal in the world," the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Monkey D. Dragon!
(End of this chapter)