"Live, Robin!"
"Somewhere in the seas, companions await you. Go find them, Robin! Live on with them!"
Robin sat huddled on the small boat, knees drawn to her chest, sailing along the path of ice Kuzan had created. The final words of her mother and Saul echoed in her mind. The more she remembered, the deeper the waves of grief washed over her. She was, after all, only an eight-year-old child who had suffered an unimaginable catastrophe. It was a small miracle she hadn't broken down completely.
Alone on the boat, Robin forced herself to be strong, attempting Saul's unique laugh. "Dereshishishi!" she tried, repeating it over and over, the sound hollow. Finally, the dam broke, and she couldn't hold back the heart-wrenching sobs any longer. Robin drifted away alone across the sea, the distant inferno of Ohara casting flickering light on the waves, leaving behind nothing but ruins.
"Am I too late?" Doflamingo hovered high in the sky, extending his formidable Observation Haki across the ravaged island of Ohara, searching for any sign of survivors. It was futile. He knew the World Government's methods all too well – they left nothing behind.
Gazing at the devastation from afar, Doflamingo noted the Marines still active on the island. He didn't linger. Sakazuki and Kuzan might still be nearby, and being discovered by them would inevitably lead to a fierce battle. While Doflamingo didn't fear them, he had more pressing matters to attend to now. There was no time for delays.
Without hesitation, Doflamingo turned and sped towards the nearest neighboring island. A mere little girl wouldn't escape his grasp for long.
Meanwhile, at Navy Headquarters, Sengoku, Kuzan, and the Commander of CP9, Spandine, were conferring in a meeting room.
"Ah! That's her! It's definitely her! Where was she spotted? Have you captured her yet?" Spandine demanded, brandishing Robin's photo at the reporting Marine.
The Marine recounted the details of Robin's escape, eliciting a frustrated noise from Spandine.
"That brat has the devil's own luck! I saw her myself back then – just a little kid alone on a small boat, managing to slip out of Ohara while it was engulfed in flames! Just as I was about to give chase, the ship's rudder froze up, wouldn't move an inch! It must have been Saul, helping her escape with his dying breath!"
Spandine truly knew how to play the political game, fitting for his position. Even harboring suspicions that Kuzan had let Robin go, he shrewdly pinned all responsibility on the deceased Saul. Spandine understood perfectly: without concrete proof, antagonizing a rising star within the Navy like Kuzan was simply not worth the risk.
Nearby, Kuzan, seated on a sofa and also holding a copy of Robin's wanted poster, broke into a cold sweat upon hearing Spandine's deliberate deflection, a faint pang of guilt stirring within him. He remained silent, hoping his stillness would quell any potential suspicion.
"She can read the Poneglyphs. Even as a child, she represents a grave danger," Sengoku declared grimly. "Capture her by any means necessary, and quickly. Otherwise, everything we did this time will have been for nothing." He issued the final verdict on Robin. A child, merely eight years old, was now burdened with a bounty of 79 million Beli. Such was the magnitude of her perceived crime in the eyes of the world. Sengoku, ever loyal to the World Government, carried out its will without flinching.
On an island northeast of Ohara's ruins in the West Blue, Robin wandered alone. Thanks to her Devil Fruit powers and sharp wits, she had managed to evade the initial Navy pursuit.
News of Ohara's destruction spread like wildfire across the globe, and with it, the news of Robin's bounty.
"79 million Beli? How can an eight-year-old girl have such a high bounty?"
"I heard she's the lone survivor of Ohara – those devils who plotted to destroy the world!"
"They say the Navy and the World Government themselves mobilized for this..."
"She apparently inherited the dangerous ideas of those executed scholars! We can't let her run free! That child... she's a Demon Child who must not be allowed to live!"
Talk about Robin was everywhere. She had no choice but to hide in small, forgotten places, struggling desperately to survive.
"Grandma, do you need any help? I can do lots of things! All I need is a little food," Robin pleaded humbly with an old woman, needing to fend for herself now.
"Little lass," the old woman replied, looking at the thinly dressed, polite girl, her heart moved by pity. "As it happens, I do have some chores you could manage. Come along." She kindly took Robin in.
For the next few days, Robin worked diligently, earning the old woman's satisfaction. Just as Robin began to think she had finally found a kind soul and could settle down, fate played another cruel trick. The grandmother, who seemed so benevolent, was unfortunately no better than the rest.
Perhaps the old woman had initially taken Robin in out of kindness. But everything changed the moment she saw Robin's wanted poster. The mask of kindness fell away, revealing the demon beneath. Greedy for the 79 million Beli reward, she secretly reported Robin to the authorities and laid a trap, intending to capture her. However, Robin, ever perceptive, sensed the danger. Relying on her sharp mind, she once again escaped the treacherous situation just in time.
Just as Robin fled, Doflamingo, having searched several islands already, arrived in the very town Robin had temporarily inhabited. Standing on the street, observing the bustling crowds, he noticed several thugs in black suits, armed with guns, frantically chasing someone.
Doflamingo showed no courtesy. He grabbed one of the men instantly. "What's going on?" he demanded.
"Who the hell are you?! Let go of me! Watch it, or grandpa here will put a bullet in you!" the thug blustered, struggling angrily against Doflamingo's grip.
"My patience is limited. Talk," Doflamingo stated flatly, having no tolerance for such trash. The man might dress decently, but he was clearly just a bully who preyed on the weak. Doflamingo educated him with a painful jolt, and the thug immediately crumpled.
"W-we're hunting Nico Robin! Sir, please, you can let me go now!" the thug begged for mercy.
"Get lost," Doflamingo released his grip on the man's shoulder.
"Y-yes! Thank you, sir! Have a good day!" the thug stammered obsequiously, his hair standing on end from the earlier jolt, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
Without further delay, Doflamingo activated his Observation Haki, its invisible wave spreading out to encompass the entire island.
"Gone already, hmm? She really knows how to run, that Nico Robin," Doflamingo muttered to himself.
Like a startled bird, Robin had once again narrowly missed encountering Doflamingo. Taking advantage of the chaos, she slipped onto a passenger ship, heading towards an unknown destination.
But alas, where could she possibly find refuge? An eight-year-old girl with a sky-high bounty was a walking treasure chest. Anyone would be interested in her, for all the wrong reasons.
Having narrowly escaped danger yet again, Robin encountered another seemingly kind soul – a couple who graciously took her in.
The ever-perceptive Robin quickly took over the household chores with practiced ease. Watching her Having movements, the couple couldn't help but remark, "Such a sensible child. It breaks your heart to see how skilled she is already."
But this peace, too, was short-lived. After only a few days, Robin overheard the couple talking late one night. Fearful that Robin's presence would bring disaster upon them, they harbored treacherous plans – they intended to turn her in for the fortune her bounty represented.
But Robin, sharp and wary, was not easily fooled. Discovering their conspiracy, she slipped away under the cover of night, disappearing into the pouring rain.
The sky was a sheet of gloomy grey, rain falling in relentless sheets. Robin sat alone in a desolate, empty field, hugging herself for warmth, her clothes thin and soaked. Only a small, lonely stray dog kept her company.
Forcing herself to be strong, she tried Saul's laugh again, "Dereshishishi..." The sound was utterly pitiful in the downpour.
After experiencing so much betrayal, Robin finally understood. No one wanted her alive. Not the kind-looking old woman, not the warm, loving couple – they all hid wicked intentions, desiring only the Beli on her head. At just eight years old, Nico Robin had been brutally schooled in the ways of the world. She was wary of everyone, constantly on edge, like a bird perpetually startled by the twang of a bowstring.
"No one wants me alive," she thought, the cold rain mirroring the chill in her heart. "Even so... I have to live."
Though heartbroken and scarred by their ugly betrayals, she still clung to Saul's words. Robin's resilience was deeply moving. In this cruel world, she learned deception and betrayal, mastering any means necessary, simply to survive.
A woman who betrayed countless times, a woman who brought misfortune wherever she went... if she hadn't met Luffy, perhaps she would still be lost in that life of deceit and backstabbing. Everything she did was just to stay alive. But the World Government would never, ever let her be.
This time, Doflamingo thought, miles away yet closing the distance, let me be the one to save you.
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