HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICO ROBIN!!
To celebrate this wonderful occasion, I present to you all the long-awaited COMPLETE version of Ch.2! A huge thanks to my new co-writer Misa-kike-chi for helping me out with this! Despite that, I still give thanks to Keo239 for being the first person to help me with the chapter. Now to those of you who saw the w.i.p preview of the chapter a couple of years ago or so which was written during the time when Keo239 was my co-writer, Misa and I have made a bunch of changes to some of the parts of the chapter that differ from the original draft in order to make it fit into the rebooted story which you'll notice as you read along.
Warning: Rated T for violence and blood. Might jump to M eventually.
Enjoy! :D
Time: Child Weapon Period, 1505 A.O.P
Location: Secret Faculty, ?
A short, young woman wrapped in loose, flowing purple stared up at the stone behemoth and into the surrounding gloomy crevices. Three years had passed since day one of training and Nico Robin was no longer the girl she had been back then: the weak, lonely orphan. Now she was a dangerous assassin, already on the path to join the world's strongest living weapons.
Today was a special day for the first successful offspring of Project Black Rose. Nico Robin would take on her first mission. Most likely it would be dangerous and life-threatening, but Robin had decided long ago that she would only laugh in the face of danger. A noble and eccentric decision that, though it wasn't as effective since Robin had never been one to truly express herself. Her acting skills had initially received the lowest marks in her training regimen after all.
"You may enter," the black-suited stranger–as typical for government agents–motioned her inside the dark building. Shadows cast from nowhere, hiding the location in a mysterious aura. Even the older gentleman sitting behind the desk was cast in his own darkness, blackness descending so that only his glasses glittered ominously.
"Shadow Blossom…" he began rearranging the various confidential papers on his desk. "For your very first assignment you will be deployed at Loguetown. Your false identity will be that of an orphan sent by a supplier to be a new playmate for Hutzil, a wicked pirate captain known widely for molesting children on a daily basis." He paused, handing over Hutzil's wanted poster to Robin, before continuing to organize his files.
Her expression turned slightly sour. Despite a mere 8 million beri bounty, the man looked despicable enough. She could easily imagine being a defenseless child at the mercy of a monster, especially this one. In fact, she'd rather not.
"Once you have arrived inside his hideout, you are to find a certain file of documents for us containing classified information. After you obtain these documents, eliminate Hutzil and his entire pirate crew. Use whatever means are needed. Leave no traces behind. If you do your job right, then the papers will be in my files and I'll be reading about it in the news. Can you handle that?"
"Yes, I can." Robin mumbled, folding the bounty poster in her hands. She looked up blankly from the poster, staring into the shining glasses, the only visible thing on the man she could see. "What about the children?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. You may rescue them if time permits, but the main objectives are more important than civilian casualties. Don't lose sight of your goal."
Robin, trained to notice such things, heard the slight edge in his tone. "Yes, sir."
"Good. As per our parameters, if you are compromised and put into danger, then there will be no rescue. The mission begins in three days, use the time wisely. The success of the first mission is critical to determining your future." He stopped abruptly, messing with his papers once more. Robin waited patiently.
"Why is it so dark in here? I can't read a thing… Lights! Can I get some li–" As abruptly as seconds before, he looked up and started as if shocked to discover Robin was still there. "What're you waiting for? Go now."
"Ahh, yes. Sorry." Robin smiled, bowing with a sweep of her dress towards her superior officer as she slipped away into the dark abyss. The impromptu curtsy may have been a bit much, but appearances were the easiest thing to deceive with. She had to become one of them, or at least make them think that she was. It would be a worthwhile card she could play in her future.
The anonymous gentleman stared stiffly at the empty spot in front of his desk. He muttered nonsensically before returning to his paper-shuffling and demanding for a light once more.
xxx Lougetown, 4 Days Later xxx
Waves lapped gently against the docks, it's soothing melody overpowered by the yelling and bustling coming from the crowd gathered on the damp, barnacle-encrusted platforms. Seamen, shop keeps, and normal citizens alike streamed along the wooden outposts, barely paying any attention to which ships sailed in or out. So long as they didn't belong to them or possess a Jolly Roger, there were much more important things to worry about in the day. Well, for most people at least.
"Looks like that fool came through after all." Decker grinned, smearing his grimy, dirt-cracked, and chicken-greasy hands across his brown-once-white shirt. "All hands to the ship!" A group of men responded to his orders, quickly shuffling over towards the water as the ship inched in closer. Decker, being the man of power he often bragged about, chose to slowly mosey over.
As the ship set down it's anchor, tossing out a mooring line to be secured, Decker showed off some more of his "pearly whites." As first mate of Hutzil's crew, he was in charge of making sure that everything always went down right. Dealing with wimpy suppliers sometimes meant that things didn't always go so smoothly. And when things didn't go smoothly…well, neither did his meetings with Captain Hutzil.
"You know what to do. Find our shipment!" The crew went dashing into the ship, swarming over each other to reach the cargo area first. They didn't like their meetings with Captain Hutzil too much either.
Deciding this could take a while, and also deciding he had the power to do so, Decker leaned against a straggling barrel and had himself a smoke. He slowly blew out a steady stream of smog, occasionally shouting out random orders to continue the search and to assert his power. The crew pretended they were grateful to be reminded of what could and would happen if they didn't.
Fifteen minutes went by before they found a barrel echoing with the sounds of whimpering. Jackpot.
"Sir! We've found it!" exclaimed one of the crewmembers, whose name Decker had never learned…and didn't plan to.
"Excellent. Bring it here!" Decker barked, refusing to move as he continued puffing contentedly on his cigarette. A group of men hauled the barrel in front of him, forming a circle around the commander so that no wandering eyes would happen to glance over. Thinking of Captain Hutzil, they weren't sure whether the secrecy was for his safety from the citizens or just for the sake of secrecy.
Absentmindedly ashing his cigarette, Decker violently kicked open the bar and stared into the tear-filled eyes of a jittery, blonde little girl. "Oh, hoho! The captain will definitely like this one. Alright men, time to head on back!" Without a second glance at the girl, Decker moseyed away as his crew recapped the barrel and hoisted it onto their shoulders.
As the whimpering began again, the two men carrying the barrel shared a chuckle. One of them took the initiative, whispering into the hole of the barrel, "Don't worry yer pretty lil' head, missy. The captain will take very good care of yeh. Hehe!"
Nico Robin stared out of the little hole with a blank gaze, memorizing the man's face. As much as she wanted to snap his neck with her powers right then and there, her objective required more setting and plot. The weak-and-helpless-girl was obviously a ruse. Too easy.
xxx Hutzil pirates hideout, 30 minutes later xxx
Following their arrival to the hideout, a peculiar and antiquated building that must have been abandoned for years, Robin, still inside the barrel, sprouted an eye on the side of the one of the henchmen's bandanas. To the untrained eye, it looked merely like a part of the bandana's design. She took her time observing the layout of the place as they moved along and even used Kenbushoku Haki to count how many people are in the hideout. At least three-hundred-plus living presences here, twenty of them notably weak. Those must be the children. Besides the victims, that made for four-hundred-some crew if she counted the ones left on the ship. Robin huffed. These ropes aren't tied very well but they're rather restrictive.
They wound their way through the halls before finally appearing before Hutzil himself. He looks even fatter in person. He needs to lose the cape, though. Wonder how he got his metal eye. Robin had quickly discovered that adopting snarky thoughts made for a more entertaining mission.
"Ah, so this is the one. Bring her to me!"
"You heard him, take her out of the barrel and show him," Decker snapped. The henchmen proceeded to drag her out of the barrel and toss her unceremoniously in front of Hutzil. He leaned in to take a closer look at her.
"Ooh yes, I am gonna have some fun with you for sure." Hutzil stuck his grubby tongue out and licked her cheek. Repulsive, disgusting human being. "Take her to her cell!"
"Yes, Captain!" Decker gripped Robin by the upper arm and dragged her to a cell two floors above the main hall. Robin winced. Despite her training, she may have bruises by the time he was through with treating her like a floppy ragdoll.
"In you go, bitch!" he cackled as he shoved her behind the bars. "You two guards keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't escape!"
"Aiyai, sir!"
Rubbing her arm and furiously wiping at the saliva on her cheek, Robin looked up at both guards, analyzing them with her frightened act plastered securely on her person. She settled for huddling in a corner of her prison and crossed her arms. Flower petals sprung and faded throughout the base, leaving eyes in their wake. According to the reports, Hutzil molests children whenever he chooses to, but regularly after dinner…as a sort of dessert or something. Robin wrinkled her nose slightly and created several noses for good measure. She found the kitchen soon thereafter and, by the look of things, dinner would be served within an hour or so. I can work with an hour.
Robin sprouted an arm in the corner of the room and threw a pebble. Both guards heard the noise and decided to check it out. "You stay put, brat." As soon as they walked out of sight, she stopped her fake crying and glanced around to make sure the coast was clear.
Another disconnected arm made short work of the knots binding her wrists. Robin wriggled out of the cage thanks to her abnormal flexibility, a handy technique she learned during her Kami-e training. Sensing the two guards returning, she darted into the shadows.
They trudged back, the tall one complaining about the filthy rats that ran around making random noises. The stouter grunt noticed their charge's absence first and hollered, "What the—where did she go!?" Twelve arms appeared out of nowhere, six for each guard. Robin made short work of the taller and kept the other in a stranglehold.
"Now that your comrade is safely out of the way, I'm going to ask a couple of questions," Robin emerged from the shadows.
"Hey y-you're that brat! Are you the one doing this? What the hell are y–Gruglk!"
"Quiet, scum." Robin snapped as she sprouted more hands to further enforce her authority and give her more handholds. She tilted her head and smiled, a stance reminiscent of an innocent, "First question. Where are the other children?"
"Go to hell, you little bi-"
"Belle Fleur," she quickly cut him off with a sprouted arm piercing his body with a Shigan technique. "I'm sorry, but that's not the right answer. Would you like to try again?" When he continued to show signs of resisting, Robin added, "Every time you give me a wrong answer, I'll help you remember the right one. Understand?" She poked another hole in him for good measure.
"O-o-o-okay Okay! I'll tell you -cough- please don't kill me! They're on the 2nd floor in the third door!"
"Are you sure?" Robin was fairly certain that was the correct location, but better to be safe than sorry.
"Ye-!" Robin tensed, slapped a hand over his mouth once more and made sure he could see her finger, ready to strike at the shrill pitch of his voice. "Yes!" the man squeaked. "Please don't do that finger thing again, please ple–"
"Next question, where do you keep all of your highly secret possessions?"
"In…in the captain's vault at his quarters in the bottom floor, that's all I know! NOW PLEASE LET ME GO!" cried the guard.
"Sure!" Robin smiled and complied willingly. The man sighed in relief, then heard her softer, lower voice whisper, "To hell." She dealt him an inhuman palm-strike to the face, causing both his back and neck to snap. Robin looked down upon both dead bodies blankly.
xXx Flashback to a year ago at the training facility xXx
To the outsider, Robin was calm, but on the inside, she was petrified at the sight of the now lifeless bodies of the two, vicious animals that she had murdered only moments before with her own hands. Nevermind that she had inhuman powers at her beck and call and that she had done it in an act of self-defense; she still couldn't believe she had done it. She had taken a life.
"Excellent, my dear! Excellent job, indeed!" the shadowy figure in the control room upstairs exclaimed. "You are truly on your way to becoming our most beloved weapon!"
xXx
Robin blinked. She had to dispose of these before anyone noticed.
After hiding the bodies, she immediately began working her way down to the bottom floor, silently killing guards on the way and tucking bombs away in various places. Sometime after the four-scores, Robin heard the whimpering and crying from a door on 2nd floor.
Robin stood outside on the threshold. She wasn't here on a rescue mission. The documents would come first. She sucked on the inside of her cheek briefly. She'd already killed too many guards for others not to notice, so she'd have to finish off the rest first… Robin glanced at the watch she'd taken from one of the men. Hutzil was likely halfway through dinner now if her estimations were correct. She'd better hurry. Her eyes caught sight of the ventilation system. So that's why the air isn't completely stale.
She crawled along inside the suspended, metallic network. Luckily, she hadn't encountered any unpleasant pests, other than the ones she dropped on in the hallways of course. She was mildly surprised that any part of the base was this clean. Eventually though, she began to hear the high-pitched cries of a child in the distance. Her blood boiled just–
Robin dropped out of the vent, and rushed behind the desk. The two on the other side were too occupied to notice. Robin clenched her teeth, trying to block out the god-awful sounds, and silently fiddled with the drawers. She sensed there was no other place to keep the documents within this room, so the next logical place would be the desk. She found the secret compartment, but it was bugged and required identification and a complex code.
Sighing in exasperation, Robin grabbed the dagger resting on the desktop. Good thing Hutzil's room was so dark. The cloak she'd plundered from another guard was also handy, but she didn't want to kill a child just because they'd caught a glimpse of her face. Disguise or no disguise, Robin was not going to risk compromising her mission. Of course, she could kill him now and shove his face in front of the scanner and probably crack the code on her own, but if these documents turned out to be fake, then there would probably be no easy way to access the legitimate ones without using him.
"Hold it right there!" she leapt over the desk in a blur and held the dagger at Hutzil's throat, her back to the victim. For good measure, she created more arms and wrestled him into a submission hold. The scrawny child yelped as Hutzil yelled obscenities, including vocabulary Robin had never heard before. She stored those words away for a different time.
"-you son-of-a-bi–"
"You, kid, stay in the corner and keep quiet. Turn your face to the wall and under no circumstances will you turn around until I give you the okay." As if the traumatized pixie had the gall to do anything else. Satisfied, Robin turned her attention back to the child-molester and narrowed her eyes, "He won't be hurting you anymore."
"Oh? And just how are you going to do that? All I have to do is call the guards and-"
"That won't be necessary," she cut Hutzil off mid-sentence. A sprouted arm trained a gun on his temple, one she'd slipped from yet another of the guards she'd killed earlier. "I've already easily disposed of a hundred of them, if I counted correctly. Would you like me to demonstrate how I managed by using you as an example?"
His good eye squinted at the form under the hood, "You don't seem very threatening to–Hey! You're that little blondie from earlier. Why you little-"
Robin held up a hand. "I'm surprised you're smart enough to tell," she tsked. "But I'm not here for your desserts or your money."
Predictably enough, Hutzil lost a bit of color in his face. "Oh, you are so full of shit," he managed to spit out.
"Am I now?" She had two of her arms twist his back arm.
"Gawgh Alright, alri–I get it!" Hutzil cried.
"See, that wasn't so bad. Open the vault in the compartment within your desk." Robin chose to ignore the look of surprise on his face, "There are certain documents that you possess and you will give them to me."
"Y-yes" said Hutzil nervously. They both shuffled over to the vault with Robin's sprouted hand still holding a gun to his head. After opening the secret hatch, he handed her the documents. Her response was to pluck them from his grubby hand and toss him against the wall.
Robin thumbed through the documents and noticed something odd about them. As I thought.
"HA! Stupid girl!" Yelled Hutzil, as he was already outside the vault. "Meet my secret bodyguards!" he closed the door on her, locking it.
Robin stared blankly at the door handle before discarding the papers behind her. It was incredibly bad foresight to not restrain him while I checked the papers. At least things will get more interesting now…
Four shadowy figures came out of nowhere to– well, attempt to ambush her.
"Hey little girl, shouldn't you be in your cage? " one of the men taunted as they surrounded her. Robin looked around to analyze the situation. From the look of them, her usual Devil fruit-powered submission techniques would not work.
Hmm. I guess I will have to get a little dirty after all, unfortunately. Robin glanced at the boy who was still in the corner. Had to keep an eye on him. Luckily, none of the supposed bodyguards seemed to have noticed him yet. One of the men in the corner of her eye came at her with a punch.
"Soru," she disappeared, reappearing last minute behind him and delivering an inhumanly strong kick to his head, almost killing him. Almost, but he would expire in minutes.
"You bitch!" growled another of the guards as he and two more men came at her. Two carried swords.
Robin dodged all of their attacks with the greatest of ease and was about to finish them all off when a shrill scream came from the corner. Oh great.
The bodyguard wearing a red armband had a knife pressed against the poor child's neck. "If you take one more step, he's dead."
Robin sucked on the inside of her cheek. If possible, she'd like to avoid younger casualties. This was no problem though; shock value was always effective. She put on a nice grimace and relaxed her stance.
"Good choice." The two swordsmen swung and–
"Tekkai." –the swords shattered upon contact with Robin's body. As expected, Robin smiled.
"Wh-what did you–"
She acted quickly and jabbed the red-armbanded man in the throat. Simple trick, really. He fell dead at her feet. Robin turned to face the swordsmen who were quaking in their boots. "That was not very polite," she murmured and tilted her head demurely. An extra hand covered the little boy's eyes and, before the men could get a word past their closed throats, they were dead.
XXX
"N-nee-san…?"
Robin quit looking at the scene she had created. "Let's get you out of here." Word had probably spread throughout the base if the excitement throughout the building was anything to go by. She had taken too long. It would probably take a bit to catch up with Hutzil and weasel out the information she needed now that remaining guards were being alerted. Before exiting the room, Robin tipped and shattered the kerosene lamp. There would be no reason to return here.
"Who are you? Where are you taking me?"
"Away from here."
Still a bit shaken by the amount of blood she had shed, Robin led her newest charge back to the room on the second floor to release the rest of the children, but was sorely unprepared for the onslaught of emotions that hit her. Sadness, pain, anguish battered her mind and almost brought her to tears. No. The mission is most important. And yet, she just couldn't leave them here. The fire she had started was most likely consuming the entire office by now. If her calculations were correct, the old building would collapse if it wasn't dealt with properly– and by the time she was done with the kidnappers, Robin added.
Using her Hana Hana powers, she made quick work of whatever rope or lock was restraining the children. Just in time as well.
Six more guards fill the room. "There is that bitch. Get her!" one pulled out a gun and prepared to fire. Robin noticed this and immediately formed a twenty-arm shield and put her weight behind her left side.
"Tetsuhana: Kinsenjun!" she hardened her the muscles in her arms just before the bullets hit, causing them to ricochet back at the man. The other five stared in shock at their comrade lying still at their feet. There was no way Robin would risk deflecting a bullet into one of the cages.
Frightened, another gunman dropped his weapon and shakily unsheathed a sword. He barely lifted it before Robin was on him, landing a powerful punch into his stomach and knocking him into the only visible portion of wall in the room. "Ocho fleur: Twist and Snap," eight arms bloomed out of the next two guards and twisted their bodies, snapping their necks. Quick and efficient. "Kaika Rankyaku," Robin swung her leg out in a blur and sent three air blades towards her three remaining opponents, a handy allusion easily created by sprouting two extra legs before kicking. She turned back towards the kids, "Come, we don't have much time."
They trembled and remained frozen, afraid to even step out of their prisons. It suddenly occurred to her that they probably were not used to death despite the reputation of their captor and molestor… How would she–
"It's okay!"
Robin turned, surprised as the boy she'd rescued stepped out from behind her into the dim light. "Onee-san, will protect us. She saved me and she can save you too! Stop being scaredy cats and let's escape together!"
Robin briefly reflected that the little boy had seemed much smaller in Hutzil's clutches. He was no little boy. The trembling victim was nowhere to be found as she half-listened to his courageous words of encouragement.Little hypocrite, the corners of her mouth turned upward.
Many of the children flinched when, with a loud bang, a scrawny girl stumbled out of her cage and scooped up a younger one. Her sister? "Devil!" she screamed, her eyes wide and her arms clutching at the trembling little girl in her arms. "What kind of monster are you? Sprouting arms, deflecting bullets…"
Robin frowned. Her sensei's has often called her such and she'd been cursed thousands of times over. She'd been insulted by far filthier, degrading names than that, and yet her heart lunged painfully in her chest. Why…–
Slap!
Robin's eyebrows lifted. Fast, that one, she thought as she observed the boy–exhaling hard–standing over the older girl. "Stop that. Stop that, right now, Erica."
Tears streamed silently down grubby cheeks and the younger sister whimpered.
"Stop crying and stand up," he ordered. He turned around, "All of you, we can escape this hell together! I don't care if she's the devil, I just…" he frowned, "I know that she won't hurt us. She'll help us. I can feel it."
One surprise after another. I truly underestimated him, Robin thought, a true leader. She watched him pull Erica up by the hand and pull her towards the exit. One by one, the rest of the children slunk out of their cages. A few of the older ones also ran towards younger siblings or friends and, in no time, Robin marched out of that hell hole with a stream of misfits behind her.
She followed the map she'd laid out in her mind. All was going well–almost too well–when Robin led the kids into a room that shouldn't have been pitch dark. A few seconds later, a loud voice boomed at them, "Haha! Sorry little missy, but we ain't lettin' you and them kids leave outta here alive!" The lights snapped on and the children covered their eyes, unused to the brightness. Robin eyed the remaining henchmen blocking the exits, about three hundred strong surrounding them. "Kill 'em!"
"Cien Fleur: Clutch." Before they knew it, the first 100 were taken out quickly.
"WH-WHAT THE FUCK!?" the remaining henchmen gaped in shock and horror. "What just happened?"
"Grr, SHOOT THEM ALL!" Twenty men pulled out guns, but over twenty arms appeared out of their backs, one or two per enemy, and knocked the weapons to the ground.
"How rude. Didn't anyone teach you that you shouldn't pull a gun on children?" Robin smirked, wagging a finger. "Veinte Belle Fleur," her extra arms began piercing their respective targets' bodies. Twenty went down, their bodies full of holes.
"Damnit! That's it, BRING IN THE CANNONS!" Decker commanded angrily. "You think you're so heroic, girl? Quake before me!" The remaining men scrambled to uncover the cannons that they kept hidden in different areas of the room. They took their positions and waited for their superior's signal. "Ready. Aim. FIRE!" he screamed, and his men quickly lit the fuse.
"Oh god, w-we're gonna die!" "MOMMY!" the children began to become hysterical.
Robin shook her head. To her, the cannonballs were moving in slow motion. Taking her time, she yelled, "TETSUHANA-"
BOOM
The men roared out a collective cheer, as the heat from the explosions began to fade away. Decker smiled to himself and turned towards his men, raising his arms, and met with the panic. "Sencho! The cannons, they're–!"
Decker watched, speechless, as cannonfire was trained into the crowd of screaming men as if the cannons were possessed. "What the hell are those imbeciles are doing!" But the guards working the platforms were gone! More yells were heard on the opposite of the room, behind the smoke still centered in the middle of the room. "What's going on!"
The chaos on his side of the room was getting louder and louder. Decker whirled on his men and yelled at them to shut up when he saw their mortified expressions trained on something behind him. "What now!"
"S-sencho! Behind you!"
The smoke had cleared, revealing a huge, pale dome in the middle of the room. Were those…arms? The mass disappeared in a burst of flower petals, revealing Robin and the children who were completely unscathed! Piles of bodies were being shoved into existence behind the hooded blonde as she backed the children into a protected corner of the room.
"W-WHAT!? What the hell is she!? A monster?" Decker screeched as he, along with the other men, started to panic. He gave a start. What a minute– oh! yes, that has to be it. She's a devil fruit user, of course! And here I am freaking out over this crap. Decker flushed red, suddenly extremely embarrassed. Kuso onna– tricking me like that! "Stand back men, I'll deal with this devil-fruit brat!"
The remains of his_–err, Hutzil's_–minions cheered. The first mate made a big show, leaping in front of the circle of men with a "flourish." He had to take responsibility. Hutzil was a bloody fool, but at least Decker's captain took the bounty poster. Stupid government hadn't realized that the real danger was just one step behind the captain of the Hutzil pirates.
"Take a load of this!" Decker started off the fight by attacking Robin with his finger. Robin noted that it gleamed in the light and was unnaturally sharp. She dodged it with ease, Decker immediately following up with another finger spike from his other hand. Robin dodged his attacks and back-flipped away from him, luring him away from the children.
"Seis fleur," six arms bloomed out of his body, grabbing him. Spikes then protruded from his body, piercing the arms. Robin gasped softly and lightly touched the sores that appeared on her original arms. The others vanished.
Decker started growing more spikes out of his body as he laughed maniacally. "You see here, missy! I too am a Devil Fruit user. I ate the Toge Toge fruit, making me a spike man! Now it's time for you to die!" he yelled confidently. "Stinger Lariat!" He charged with a spiked whip in substitute of his arm, but missed as Robin dodged. "Take this, HEEYA!" He shoots out a bunch of spikes out of his body like projectiles, all heading towards Robin.
"Soru," Robin twisted and flipped but still received a small cut on her shoulder. I need to find another way to get around his spikes, she mused as she regained her composure.
"Try to dodge this, kid! St–"
"Sencho!"
"What!" Decker snapped. "Can't you see I'm kind of busy?"
"The building is on fire!"
"I don't have time for–What!"
Robin took the opportunity to take out the rest of the present Hutzil pirates. The man who had brought the message fell to his knees in a dead faint. She giggled at Decker, "Oh my, I do not believe you have enough men to put such an unfortunate fire out."
Decker growled and clenched his fists, "Stinger Hedgehog!" Spikes covered his entire body and he rolled into a ball, charging at her at full speed.
Using Kenbunshoku haki and Soru, Robin kept dodging his continuous spike ball attack, waiting for him to tire but he just wouldn't let up. Let's try…"Quinientos Fleur!" Hundreds of arms formed a huge shield. As the furious spike-ball approached it, she activated her technique: "Shin Tetsuhana: Shin Kinsenjun!" Using both Tekkai and Busoshoku Haki "Koka" as one powerful defense, Robin was able to stop his attack and earn only a couple of scratches. She then created two large arms, both empowered with Busoshoku Haki "Koka," out of the shield to hold him in place.
"What the? How!?"
Immediately, the hands tossed him high as another giant, black hand appeared and smacked him downwards diagonally towards Robin who was prepping for her next and final attack. She kicked at the ground rapidly with her right leg, along with a few extras, charging them up with power while they're hardened with Busoshoku Haki "Koka". NOW. Robin leapt up into the air, her leg sparking with heat. Unleashing a powerful kick, Robin launched Decker into a sidewall and through a series of partitions. The building rumbled dangerously and black flower petals were everywhere.
Robin landed on her feet daintily and stretched her leg out, as if examining it for any visible damage, "Slightly straining since I haven't perfected that technique yet, but it's better than nothing I suppose. Although a mere smash from another Busoshoku Haki-empowered Gigantesco Mano would have finished the job just as well, I always wanted to try the technique just to test it." Robin bowed deeply, smirking, "Thank you for being my test subject."
As she was walking away to get the kids, Decker, looking brutally wrecked, lunged one last time at her only to get smashed underneath Robin's heel, never to rise again.
"Hmph, persistent fiend." Robin looked up at the sound of voices and clattering boots.
"Decker-sencho! What's going…on… Wait!" a line of guards stampeded in, pushing at the front group that was trying to get back the way they'd come. There were a few moments of silence as the men stared at Robin and a motionless Decker in a bloody heap on the floor in front of her.
"Screw this, this ain't worth it! Let's get outta here!" cried one. They began shoving their way out.
"I'm sorry, but none of you are leaving." Robin said, cold cheer in her voice. "SORU!" At the speed of lightning, she reappeared in front of the escape exit that the men were heading to, stopping them in their tracks. The men shivered nervously as she walked slowly towards them, her barefeet making no sound.
"Fufufufu…so long," Robin smiled.
XXX
She needed to get the children out of the building. This end was beginning to collapse, and the fire had spread. If she didn't finish her mission quickly, the fire or collapsing rubble would find one of the bombs she planted and set it off, or kill Hutzil before she got to him.
The children were safely outside, hidden behind some brush. Robin had knocked them all out to avoid their questions and the off-chance that one of them would be able to describe her on a later occasion. She would deal with them later.
Robin re-entered Hutzil's lair and conveniently found him waiting for her with a more updated selection of cannons ready, which were far more powerful and had a faster firing speed rate. After taunting her for coming this far, he fired all twelve cannons at her. Unfortunately for him, Robin had trained with far superior explosives and knew that not only could she dodge with Soru and Geppo techniques, but she could also finish everything off with a few elementary Tekkai, CoA Haki, and Devil Fruit combinations. But–like she said–they were elementary, and Robin wanted a bit more excitement out of this.
After the smoke cleared from the explosion caused by the impact of the cannons, she was no longer there, leaving Hutzil to believe that he eliminated her. Then, just as he was about to feel relieved to have finally gotten rid of her, an arm sprouted from his back and grabbed his neck. Four more arms appeared to grab both of his arms, and two more arms came out of the ground behind him to grab his legs. As Hutzil struggled to free himself from this virtually unbreakable hold, a figure rose out of the ground in front of him.
"H-How-How did you..!?"
"That was quite rude you know," her arms re-enforced their grip on the target. "Now, sir, kindly tell me where the real documents are. Depending on your answer, I might spare your life and not give you the brutal and painful death you deserve," Robin offered, her tone cold and clipped.
"Eulghk cough cough ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'll tell you! They are behind my throne in a secret drawer on the wall!" Hutzil cried, almost choking to death from the powerful submission hold.
"Where?" she tightened her hold just in case. And "throne?" Lummox.
"Next room! Next–"
Robin shoved him so that his head bounced off the poorly painted walls and dragged him to the next room. There was indeed a large, cushioned chair although it looked like it had seen better days. Robin wondered if this was another trap or not. She didn't want to take any chances but, as they say, time is of the essence. She scanned the wall behind the throne and found a tiny hole.
"I see. Do you have a key to it?" she asked in the same, cold manner.
"Ulgk, n-no! I-I just use a nail or a pin to open it!" a frightened and desperate Hutzil squeazed out as the hands strengthened their grip on him even more. Blood splattered onto the ground, "BleghGaaak CoughCoughI-I'm not lying! I have a p-pin right here! J-Ju-Just just look into my p-p-p-pockets and you'll see!" he screamed.
"…Uno Fleur." A single arm appeared around Hutzil's waist, searching his pockets until it found the pin. Guess he was telling the truth after all. "You stay put, scum," she dropped him and had the arm toss the pin to her. She made sure she kept him held tightly with her arm replicas and padded over to the tiny hole. A chunk of wall swung open and, after opening the drawer, Robin discovered a bunch of ornately designed sheets of paper, all with in-depth writing as well as the legitimate signature logo of the World Government on each one. No doubt about it, these were definitely the real deal.
She paused. Yes, they were classified, but Robin had thought hard about these documents. Why would such a notorious criminal, even with a measly eight million bounty, have documents from the World Government? It didn't make any logical sense, Robin's eyes flitted over the code. The words were even concealed in a pattern. This had to be extremely important if–
Hutzil managed to turn his head so that he could watch Robin. He watched the hooded little girl flip rapidly through the documents and saw her hands begin to shake. If he hadn't been in so much pain, he would have had the capacity to be impressed. He wondered if she could truly read the papers without the code's alphabet.
"So that's what this is about."
"Um, coughC-can I go now?" asked an uncomfortable Hutzil.
"Absolutely….to the depths of Hell." Robin smiled darkly.
WHAT!? W-wait! You said-"
"I lied. You're too despicable to be allowed to live," Robin walked briskly over to the struggling man, focusing her anger at the world government on him. "Normally, I would just twist your body and neck to end you quickly, but for all the sins you've committed, especially to children, you must be punished…BRUTALLY," Robin spat. Suddenly, the arm that was grabbing his neck began to clench his throat with a thumb and two fingers, as if an eagle's claw was about to pierce his throat. A sickening crack signaled the end of his vocal cord and four more arms bloomed out of Robin's left side. All five of her arms reared back, "Kaika Shigan Kenpo: Goshigan…HIIRO!"
Fingers pierced his fat body rapidly at speeds rivaling a Dillon minigun. Hutzil's body became more mangled and less recognizable and blood was everywhere, but she purposefully avoided his vital organs. A furious rage burned in Robin's heart for the cries within the hearts and wills of the children that he molested and as suddenly as the barrage began, it stopped. Hutzil would either die of blood loss or lack of air in seconds, but Robin wasn't so merciful that she'd just kill him with a final kick. Pulling out a small vial she'd slipped from her traipse around the base, she waved it under his nose and forced him to come to his senses…and crossed her arms for one last act. Arms appeared throughout the base, then burst into torrents of petals. Seconds later the building shook and collapsed upon itself, crushing Hutzil underneath the rubble.
XXX
A black figure stood at the peak of a pile of broken, burning stone, disappearing in a flash. Footsteps unsettled the small pebbles on the ground and a tree branch parted, the only signals that somebody was there.
Twenty children, sleeping under the stars and finally free though they did not know it. Robin created feet underneath them, and she walked them all the way to the beach. The lights on Hutzil's ship, half a mile away, blinked dully. She sensed that they were well aware that the base had been destroyed. Perhaps the bombs had been a bit much.
"Cien Fleur: Wing."
XXX
When Robin returned to the shore, she was weary. So much bloodshed…
"Nee-san."
It was that boy again. He was standing near the water's edge. Robin was briefly surprised. The other children had transitioned from unconsciousness into peaceful sleep, but seemingly not this one.
"My name is Jenga."
Robin stared at him, wondering why he was telling her his name.
"What's your name?"
She raised an eyebrow, knowing fully well that he could not see her face. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
Jenga ignored her question and murmured quietly, almost to himself, "What do I do now?" A cool breeze blew between them, ruffling his oily hair and puffing up Robin's cloak. "Where do I go? Where do I belong?"
Robin's expression hardened–not that he could see it–as she heard the tears in his cracking voice. Of course. He was still a child, tormented and abused unjustly– In so many ways, this boy reminded her of her past self. Deep in her heart, she knew she was still seeking the answers to those same questions. "Go and live a better life," she said simply, but it was never as simple as that. A sour taste was left in her mouth. What else could she say or do for him? Nothing.
"Do you work for the World Government?"
A sinking feeling in her gut, Robin tiredly tilted her head a bit.
"I'll become a marine. I'll defeat all evil in the world!"
Those words… "You should sleep." The conversation had suddenly turned to a dangerous subject and it was making her realize just how exhausted she truly was.
"What's your name? Who do I thank?"
Robin was suddenly nose to nose with the boy and, right before she knocked him out, she whispered in his ear, "The World Government's Angel of Death."
XXX
The wind blew gently and pushed a huge dust cloud out into the ocean. The stars were twinkling up in the sky to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. Down on the earth, an old fisherman yawned and pushed back the mending he was working on.
"Dear," his plump wife scolded, "don't you have to wake at dawn? Why do you all-aways procrastinate as late into the night?"
"Don't worry so," he smiled good-naturedly and stretched. "I'm happy with the way I live."
Shouting came from the wharf just on their doorstep.
"Those drunkards hollerin up a storm ought to consider that people are tryin to sleep at this hour!" the woman huffed.
"…-ire! A fire!"
"Fire?" the man looked at his wife. They hurried out the door and saw something floating towards the docks, all ablaze. It was a ship, a livid pirate flag flying at its mast and a black rose freshly painted on its hull.
On the other side of Loguetown, guards were blinded by a sudden wind of leaves or– flower petals? When they opened their eyes, almost two dozen sleeping, malnourished children were huddled on the marine base's doorstep.
An officer yanked on the door, "What the hell is all the commotion out– mmf!" He clawed at the paper the wind shoved in his face. It was a bounty poster of the pirate Hutzil, a black rose painted over his picture. The officer looked at the confused guards trying to shake the children awake and turned to go inside and call another superior when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Atop the clock tower a few blocks away, a cloaked shadow with pitch-black angel wings was perched and silhouetted by the full moon. The man rubbed his eyes, but when he opened them, the vision was gone.
And that's the end of Chapter 2! Stay tuned for the next chapter as we jump into the future where we get a glimpse of Robin on a mission during her CP9 years! And just so you all know, the first several chapters (which will all be in the "Child Robin" and "CP9 Robin" eras) won't be in chronological order until the "Shadow Admiral Robin" era. Anyways, until next time guys!
Technique Notes:
Belle Fleur (Flower Bullet in french) - A technique where Robin uses her DF arms instead of her original arms to execute Shigan techniques. However, this move can also be utilized in conjunction with shigan techniques that uses her real arms.
Tetsuhana: Kinsenjun (Iron Flower: Marigold Shield) - Robin will grow twenty arms out of one of her real arms and then have them form a round-like shield (Veinte: Calendula) and hardens them all with Tekkai right before her opponent(s) strikes, creating what seems to be like an iron shield.
Kaika Rankyaku (Blooming Storm Leg) - An attack where Robin uses either Rankyaku with only her DF legs or specific Rankyaku techniques that use both her DF legs and original legs, like she she did in this chapter.
Veinte Belle Fleur - Twenty Flower Bullets (Veinte is twenty in spanish and Belle Fleur is Flower Bullet in french)
Shin Tetsuhana: Shin Kinsenjun (True Iron Flower: True Marigold Shield) - A more powerful and tougher version of Tetsuhana: Kinsenjun that uses five hundred arms instead of twenty arms and is reinforced with the power of Busoshoku Haki "Koka!"
Kaika Shigan Kenpo "Goshigan: Hiiro" (Blooming Finger gun/bullet fighting style "Five finger bullets/guns: Scarlet") - A more powerful and deadlier variation of Shigan Ouren where Robin uses five arms (with four DF arms and one real arm) instead of one arm. The multiple blows of this technique are equal to that of a powerful Dillion Minigun! As most of you have noticed, all these techniques here are from my Rokushiki Robin movelist project, which you can find here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JeiifH2b5lbwrHx9jDy7mDVJDRCwapEiKyDj_StQBG0/
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7450442/2/Shadow-Blossom