Chapter Text
It was common for the straw hat crew to pass entire days at a time without being assaulted by a barrage of adventure and danger. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of their journeys between destinations was filled with casual wonder; time for themselves and their interpersonal relationships. Today was one such day.
Despite only accompanying the crew for a matter of days, the fishman sighed as he entered the outside deck, the first glimpses of sunrise flashing off of his blue skin. The Sunny already felt like home to him, with its gadgets and sturdiness unlike any ship he’d ever seen or sailed on. The air was crisp, but not cold, with the slight freshness riding on the wind that only a new day could bring. Above his head, seagulls cawed monotonously, their bodies contrasted against the deep blue sky, which faded into a warm orange as it met the azure sea. The moon was still visible, to his surprise, however the fishman only smiled at the tranquility the scene seemed to bring him. He had forgotten what it was like to sail on a ship that felt like home, and he half expected Fisher Tiger to burst out of the Sunny at any moment, alongside his beloved fishmen nakama from days gone by. But, he thought dryly and shaking his head, they wouldn’t have lasted long with this many humans on board, especially Arlong’s navigator. No. He frowned as he slowly made his way to the edge of the deck. Not his navigator. Luffy-kun’s navigator. Arlong’s hatred for humans resulted in more of a master/slave relationship than that of nakama, and the fishman could only begin to imagine the abuse that the firey redhead had to endure during her years as his servant. The guilt still gnawed at him, however he had to become the bigger man. He had apologised; something Arlong never could do, and now he could only do his best to ensure that, one day, Nami would forgive him.
The fishman’s thoughts were interrupted by a sharp thud on the deck behind him, the man wheeling around to catch sight of a tight fitted white t-shirt disappearing into the cabin. Zoro must have taken his appearance as a sign that he could take his leave from the night watch, something the fishman was sure he appreciated, even if he didn't say it. Grunting in affirmation, the fishman now headed towards the helm, his duties flooding back to him. He wasn’t on this ship for a free ride. The battle at Wano had been incredibly taxing on the whole crew, therefore pulling his own weight was a necessity. They were just children after all, and taking down Kaido was no small feat. He gripped the helm firmly with both hands and inhaled deeply as he gently tilted the wheel to the right ever so slightly. The straw hats, despite being so fearsome, was the most ridiculous gathering of ragtag misfits he’d ever seen. One of them, the zoan racoon dog, couldn’t have been more than 15 human years old at most, yet possessed the medical knowledge that would put even Drum Kingdom doctors to shame. The woman, Nico Robin, was wise beyond her years, yet had not hesitated to express her enthusiasm for particularly ‘cute’ beings. Nico Robin…the fishman alighted the wheel once more, before blinking in the general direction of the moon. Black Maria had wanted her. She had even used Blackfoot as a lure to trap her. Kaido had wanted her. It was undeniable that CP0 would also want her. Not to mention the other pirates who sought the One Piece, knowing that she was the final key to finding Laugh Tale. It was a matter of time. They could only outrun conflict for so long. Were they prepared for this inevitable battle? What would happen if the woman was taken from them?
“Jinbe-san.” The fishman turned sharply to see a figure standing behind him clutching a watering can, their features darkened by the morning light, the glint of blue eyes from the darkness putting him at ease.
“Nico-san.” He acknowledged with a nod, before approaching her slowly and carefully. He knew that he had to remain cautious around the more reserved member of the crew, especially following the events in the Wano kingdom. Robin had neglected to tell the crew about it, yet the fishman had known from his quick glances at the skeleton musician supporting her barely conscious frame that she had been through a tedious time. Surprisingly, the talkative skeleton had also refrained from sharing information about the previous battle, choosing instead to burst into song whenever he was questioned. The ship’s cook also remained stoic and uptight regarding the encounter with Black Maria, his lips pressed in a thin white line as he took a long drag on his cigarette, his eyes fixated on the floor in shame. Had he failed to protect her, and been informed of her injuries? If so, Jinbe knew enough about the man that this would cause him great distress, however it wouldn’t explain the reluctance of all three crew members to share the events. Snapping him back to reality, the woman smiled warmly, waving her hand in dismissal.
“Jinbe-san, you needn’t be so formal. ‘Robin’ will suffice. We’re nakama now, so it would be proper that we address each other appropriately.” Jinbe blushed in response, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly at the woman’s maturity.
“O-of course. Robin-s…Robin.” He cleared his throat and gestured to the woman, who was now coming into clearer view as the sky around them lightened. “You weren’t asleep? I imagine you’d be tired after what we’ve just been through.” The woman chuckled lightly, before shrugging and placing her finger to her lips. She was dressed in a well fitting lilac camisole, and matching dark blue jeans, the likes of which seemed unlikely sleeping garments.
“That is true. But surely you’d be tired as well?” Robin probed carefully, morbidly curious to learn more about the former warlord. “You also fought very hard, Jinbe-san. Harder than me.” Choosing not to question the woman’s hypocrisy regarding honorifics, Jinbe shook his head, before puffing out his chest indignantly.
“Not at all. It wouldn’t be right to compare efforts in battle.” The woman’s eyes sparkled mischievously, and her lips turned up into a slow, sly smile.
“I see. How fascinating.” She gently sloshed the water in her watering can, peering down at the murky water that lay within, before turning back to what Jinbe could now identify as a raised flower bed embedded within the deck, adorned with blooms of a wide variety of colours. This ship, he thought crudely, really did have everything.
“Robin.” He began slowly, mulling his words over in his mind before speaking, watching carefully as the woman knelt down and inspected the blooms cautiously in the saturating light.
“Mm?” The woman chose not to answer, instead mumbling in affirmation as she carefully caressed a white petal between two fingers.
“In Wano Kuni...what happened…between you and Black Maria?”
Robin’s reaction was instant and absolute; she clenched her teeth and crushed her hands into fists, ripping the petal from the stalk.
“Nothing.” She replied shortly, her hand still clenched in a fist. Her eyes were set, stony, her eyebrows now coming together in an intense frown. “Nothing, Jinbe-san.” The fishman crossed his arms, unconvinced, the woman’s body language betraying her. For once, it seemed, Nico Robin wouldn’t be allowed to lie her way out of a situation. Robin trembled slightly, feeling a bead of sweat run down the back of her neck. What had happened between her and Black Maria…what had happened indeed. She had made Brook swear to keep it a secret, and Sanji was in no position to share the events either, due to the way he had effectively betrayed her to get her in the position Black Maria had wanted. At the time, she had been sure Sanji had called her because he relied on her, but-
She swallowed hard.
It would be a mistake to assume that Black Maria’s words hadn’t struck a chord within her. Butterflies beat at her insides as she gently released her hand from its fist position. It wasn’t Sanji’s fault. It wasn’t . He did not know how badly Robin would be injured following the fight, needing the eccentric skeleton to carry her from battle to battle. He did not know that Black Maria had poison running through her veins; poison which, the woman thought in a brief panic, she was sure now ran through her own in small doses. She had considered seeing the ship’s little doctor about it, but there would be nothing he could do, she was sure. All she could do was wait and hope that her body would be able to combat it on its own. She did not like to worry her crewmates over trivial matters.
Jinbe frowned and approached the woman slowly, placing his hand against her shoulder blade, the woman tensing at his touch. The skin was bumpy and rough, indicating that there was once a deep wound here, and from the sensation of her skin, it was still relatively fresh. Such an injury could not have been obtained in Wano Kuni, but she did not have any such injuries when they had first met at Fishman Island. Robin inhaled sharply through her teeth at the sensation of the fishman’s webbed hand on her scarred skin, dredging up memories she had chosen to forget.
The temporary medical tent set up at Dressrosa’s castle was bustling with those who were wounded. Chopper was in the far corner, busying himself with those who needed more urgent care than those with minor scrapes. Due to Doflamingo’s manipulation of the army, most, if not all soldiers required attention in some shape or form, however none were bleeding quite as heavily as the woman watching silently from the doorway, a white cape clutched at her chest.
“Robin?” The woman turned to the pink haired teen who was staring at her worriedly. “You should see doctor Chopper. Y-your back-“
“Rebecca-san, thank you, but I’ll be okay.” The raven haired woman cut in sharply. “There are people here who need him more than I do. Let him see them first, and then he can tend to me. My injuries are nothing more than small flesh wounds.” The girl next to her pouted in frustration, watching the woman gaze upon the little doctor hard at work with a faint smile on her face. By her ankles, blood slowly dripped onto the floor, leaving a small shallow puddle around the woman’s feet. Blood did not drip like this from a small flesh wound, the young gladiator knew. Goodness knew, blood did not drip at all from small flesh wounds. What lay beneath the white cloak wrapped around the woman’s shoulders terrified her, almost as much as the thought of someone suffering so much in order to protect her. Her…a nothing in the land of everything. Glancing around, Rebecca tensed up slightly at the presence of a tall man encroaching on the pair. He had long swept blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, the likes of which glinted mischievously as the distance between himself and the pair diminished. The girl let out a sigh of relief at his identification and presence, however the raven haired woman remained fixated on the little doctor, her breathing slightly strained and controlled, as if doing so caused her a great deal of pain.
“Cavendish-san.”
“Rebecca-sama.” The man bowed deeply, before setting his feather adorned white hat back upon his head with a distinguished air. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.” The girl reassured him, cupping her elbows nervously and looking the man up and down warily. “What brings you to the medical tent?“ For the first time, Cavendish frowned, turning his attention to their companion and clearing his throat.
“Well, I was hoping to get an update on how Miss Robin was doing. But it seems-“ The blonde man eyed the woman’s heaving shoulders distastefully, “She’s refusing treatment as I anticipated.” He shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. “So stubborn.” The younger girl turned sharply once more, placing her hand on Robin’s shoulder nervously. The woman did not react, her eyes still fixated on Chopper, but now home to large tears which swam on her lower lashes, threatening to overspill.
“Robin-“
“I’m fine.” The woman replied weakly, her voice wavering as she swayed slightly from the girl’s touch.
“Robin-“
“I’m fine. ” She insisted, her face now deathly pale and beginning to bead with sweat. Unintentionally in response to this new development, Rebecca tightened her grip instinctively with concern, causing Robin to arch forward sharply, gasping in pain. “Nggh…” The woman let out a small groan of discomfort, before her legs crumpled beneath her and she collapsed to the floor, the cloak slipping from her shoulders in the process and fluttering to the ground next to her.
“ROBIN-SAN!!”
“Miss Robin!!”
The two companions fell to their knees in unison in their efforts to assist her, the younger paling as she found herself face to face with the extent of the woman’s injuries. Her back was almost completely mutilated, the skin torn from her flesh leaving ugly tatters which were soaked with blood. Robin’s breathing was now slow and tedious, her back trembling with every breath and causing blood to trickle onto the floor. Pushing back her nausea, Rebecca trembled and swallowed hard, her hands shaking precariously over the woman’s shoulder. Is this what she was hiding? How had she stayed so calm this whole time? Why had she not called for help? Was it that she despised relying on people? Her head swirled with questions she could not answer, and she gasped in horror as she found tears now streaming down her own cheeks, her mouth now unusually dry.
“Robin!!!” The little reindeer manifested at Rebecca's side in an instant, tears springing into his own eyes at the sight of his wounded nakama. “Robin!! Wh-what happened?!?“ The small boy began to blubber, his chin trembling, as the woman did not answer him, her eyes closed and breathing heavy, as her blood continued to stain the floor, glinting in the setting sun, the panicked screams of her little nakama boring into her ears.
“Robin!!! Wake up!! Can you hear me?! Robin!! Robin!!”
“Robin?” Robin blinked. Dressrosa was gone. Rebecca was gone. Cavendish was gone. Chopper's fearful screams had been replaced with the cawing drone of seagulls overhead. In front of her, her watering can was still clutched in her hands, and she found the fishman’s hand had been withdrawn from her back.
Her healed, yet permanently scarred back.
Swallowing hard, the woman shook her head to ground herself, before grimacing and smiling apologetically up at her companion.
“Forgive me…what was that you said, Jinbe-san?” Jinbe frowned, staring down into the woman’s face, which now, in the light, reflected every inch of her pain, every inch of her fear. It invoked a feeling within him he could not place. He had only seen such an expression one other time in his life, when Fisher Tiger had admitted the horrors of Mariejois to his crew upon his deathbed, his anguished regrets settling above Jinbe’s head like a black cloud. Immovable. Unforgettable.
Tilting his head up to the sky, the fishman cast his gaze out over the morning ocean, the waves slowly ebbing and flowing perpetually against the sides of the Sunny. The sky had lightened considerably, however the lingering reflection of stars and the moon on the surface fluttered with the current, indicating that their day was about to begin. “It’s nothing, Miss Robin, however I think it’s best you get some rest- if I may be so bold to suggest. It seems as if we may be needed at our best very soon; the tide is turning usually early for this stretch of sea.” The woman nodded silently, acknowledging his words, still visibly shaken by the onslaught of memories that now swirled around in her mind.
“O-of course. How wise of you, Jinbe-san.” The fishman lowered his eyes to stare at her as she struggled to her feet, the still-full watering can now forgotten upon the deck. She inhaled once, before rubbing her scarred shoulder tenderly and clearing her throat with affirmation, before smiling warmly at her companion. “Is there anything I can help with at present?” Jinbe shook his head in denial almost instantly, silently willing the pale woman back to bed with all his strength.
“No, thank you. I am more than capable of steering this ship on my own.” Nodding, Robin slowly turned and began to walk back towards the cabin, passing the fishman on his left side and pausing as she drew level with him.
“Jinbe-san?”
“Yes?” The man was taken aback, his eyebrows raising in surprise.
“About Black Maria,” Robin bowed her head and smiled sadly to herself, continuing to rub her shoulder gently, her voice uncharacteristically low and sobering. “Please, do not worry. Regardless of what has happened and will happen, I have confidence that my nakama will protect me.” Jinbe froze, the ambiguity of the woman’s words squeezing on his throat like a vice. What did she mean by this? What had the spider woman said to her? He felt his pulse quicken as he swallowed hard, his thoughts now racing a million miles a minute. Had Black Maria threatened her? Threatened her safety? Threatened the safety of her crew? Her captain, whom she held so dear? Shaking his head sharply to clear his thought train, the man turned to follow up with a simple question, his robes flowing around him in an elegant sweeping motion.
“What?”
But he was alone, the woman disappearing into the dissipating shadows that now fled from the ship’s deck, light now bathing it in a rich orange hue. Squinting at the horizon, the sun had begun to peek over the endless stretch of sea, winking at him, mocking him, as if it knew something he did not.