Chapter Text
Crocodile had heard of a young bounty hunter beginning to acquire some acclaim in the east. With his interest piqued in the young man, he had sent Mr. 12 and Ms. Saturday deep into the East Blue to recruit him. After not having a report from either of them in two weeks, he ordered Robin to go for herself.
Without protestation she made her way to the east, stopping at Whisky Peak first. It was a slight game for her to drop hints for the princess of Alabasta. Though Robin herself could not find a piece of herself that could care whether or not the people of the kingdom died if it hindered access to the Ponegliff, her heart ached for her own home decimated by the corruption of the world. A sachet of dance powder was left on a table in front of her servant Igaram. Perhaps, they could both fulfill their dreams. Robin scoffed, shaking her head at the very notion.
_
A few minutes after arriving at Loguetown, Robin saw a man who fit the description of the pirate hunter Zoro. She was taken aback, it looked like he was colluding with pirates on a caravel. She spied in on their conversation. It seems that their next stop would be to the Grand Line. Her mind wandered off as she giggled at their figurehead, a cute little ram for a group of pirates? She tailed Zoro for a bit, but it seemed that the effort to recruit him would be futile. He seemed to have a strong allegiance to his captain.
After picking up food for the week's journey back to Whisky Peak, she made her way back to port. She came into a crowd gathered around the execution platform. Robin looked up at the face of the captain Zoro was following. Atop the executioner's platform and restrained, she saw nothing less than a jovial expression. When the clown's sword came to his neck, he laughed. He laughed… just like Saul. Goosebumps began to cover every inch of her body as a shaking sensation of cold took over her body. Every bit of the bounty hunter's body wanted to meet the gravity pulling it down to the ground. In the very moment that she began to dissolve into her tears and the numbing pain of her plight, she jolted back to the present. She sensed chaos to be imminent and began to run toward her keelboat at the port. An eye bloomed on a building near the scaffold because Robin couldn't look away from his smile.
_
Robin awoke as dawn broke over Whisky Peak. She gathered three kilos of leafy greens for Banchi and made her way to the cove he slept in while she was away from Paradise. He looked happy to greet her. After she climbed into her carriage, she opened up the piles of newspapers that piled up in her time away. The first thing to fall out was the bounty poster for the Strawhat captain. She traced her finger over the familiar smile. Her eyes followed her finger as she worked her way down the wanted poster. Her eyes widened, upon seeing the initial 'D', his familiarity to Saul just seemed too great. Was this something attached to what has been referred to as the 'Will of D'? In a brief memory, she remembered Professor Clover saying that Gold Roger, too had laughed at his death. No, he didn't say 'Gold' Roger… it was Gol D. Roger. Robin's eyes began to well up. She desperately tried to push all thoughts of the past behind because for every memory no matter how benign or tender, she was brought back in some small ways back to Ohara. Robin collapsed onto her knees. Her lungs felt like they were filled with smoke, too heavy to keep up any breath. The carriage blurred around her as she lost consciousness.
*Bed a bed a bed a* Robin's arm outstretched to pick up the transceiver of the Den Den Mushi.
"Miss All Sunday…"
"Yes, Mr. 0?"
"All shall be falling together in the next ten weeks. The plan we have set up are in its final days. Please see to tying up any loose ends and getting back to Alabasta within the month."
"I see, I will head back after settling things here at Whisky Peak."
Crocodile didn't give her a response, but the Den Den Mushi replicated his smirk.
Robin placed the receiver down and rolled onto her back. The sun was hanging lower in the sky. Just how long was I out for? She felt such shame to have her past haunt her so deeply. It was 12 years ago. Nothing can be changed… I just need to move forward and find out the real history.
She sat up to begin collecting herself and her thoughts back in the present day. She stacked the bounty posters to disseminate to the billions and agents. Luffy's bounty was left on the top. She traced her finger over that smile once more. There was a part of her that wanted to see more of him.