16 [16] Miss All Sunday (2)
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Chapter 16: Miss All Sunday (2)
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The current Nico Robin wasn't exactly the definition of a nice person, however she wasn't evil either. Hashirama knew that. He was also aware that she could be changed. Into a far better person.
Nico Robin could be his key to taking down Sir Crocodile. That's why he was being careful not to trigger her.
"I am here to talk."
Hashirama repeated himself as he slowly took a seat in front of her.
"Can you put down your hands?"
Robin was frowning deeply and he even noticed a few droplets of sweat on her forehead. For the next few seconds, flashes of contemplation passed across her eyes before she slowly nodded.
She put her arms down on the table.
However, Hashirama didn't miss Robin's sharp guard that was ready to make her cross her hand and take action at any given moment.
"Thank you for catching my fall back then, by the way."
Hashirama genuinely appreciated that.
"Though what I am not thankful for is that, your people tried to kill me and my friends."
Rather than commenting on his words, Robin just stared at him briefly and then turned to glare at Miss Valentine.
"Miss Valentine, what is the meaning of this?" Robin asked a flustered Mikita. "Why is the person whom you reported to be dead, currently sitting in front of me?
"A-ah, I just…."
Mikita couldn't find her words.
After gulping, she finally started to speak.
"He defeated me and Mr Five, and then killed Mr Five. He threatened to kill m-me too if I didn't lie in our call." Mikita said. "He forced me to bring him to you. I had no choice."
"...."
"I am s-sorry…?"
Looking displeased, Robin opened her mouth. But she couldn't say anything. Soon she closed her mouth with a grit of her teeth.
'Seriously, what can I say to a woman scared for her life?' Robin sighed internally. But of course, she would be reprimanded, perhaps even killed, if Robin came out of this meeting alive.
"Don't kill her,"
Hashirama suddenly said out loud, as if reading Robin's thoughts, which startled the woman.
"I would have done so myself if I wanted to. I want to punish her in another way. Personally, I don't suggest killing useful people unless very necessary. Moreover, killing a scared pest isn't that fun."
Hashirama paused and then glanced at Mikita's green eyes.
"Miss Valentine would agree that she just needs to learn some humility, right?"
Mikita's head seemed to fume out smokes of rage as she forced a nod, while Robin stared at the exchange with a frown.
Soon, Robin spoke again.
"Admirable thinking. Unfortunately, I do not quite understand why I would abide by whatever you personally think. Care to enlighten me?"
"Well, that's exactly what I am here to talk about."
Hashirama smiled while still looking at Mikita.
"But maybe we should send Miss Valentine out first?—Unless you want her to learn all your secrets."
Robin's eyes visibly shook when he said the word 'secrets'—enough that she couldn't refuse his request of being alone in this room.
After a moment of hesitation, Robin nodded and then spoke while nudging her chin towards the door.
"Please wait outside, Miss Valentine. I am sure you wouldn't try to flee, because I hope you understand we can find you anywhere."
Mikita gulped, gritting her teeth, and then nodded with a sigh. Soon she walked out of the door and shut it close tightly, fearful to hear something she shouldn't know.
"The room is soundproof," Robin said. "You can speak without worry."
"Thanks." Hashirama smiled. "This is new, to be honest. I didn't think a person such as you would be so easy to talk to, Devil Ch–"
That was as far as Hashirama could speak as once again hands appeared on his shoulders, just about to snap his neck.
In a slowed down world, before Hashirama's neck could get snapped, his calm eyes met with Robin's panicked ones that had realised her identity was busted.
Just when the two hands that had sprouted on Hashirama's shoulders about to grab his neck, two green vines came out of Hashirama's ears and wrapped around them.
– Crack!
Without even a second of hesitation, Hashirama applied pressure on the hands through his vines just as the sound of bones breaking resounded in the room.
"–Ahrghh!"
Robin yelled in pain as the arms on Hashirama's shoulders disappeared into petals of sakura flowers.
The main disadvantage of her power was that she could feel pain from all her creations. That's how she was busted so easily.
In some sense, her power was somewhat similar to Hashirama's own.
That could be proven by how the wooden chair she was sitting on had transformed its arms into wooden hands that were gently grasping her neck, threatening to apply pressure at any given moment.
In some sense, her power was a lesser version of his own.
"Careful," Hashirama didn't smile this time. "I wouldn't suggest you fight me inside a wooden building, sitting behind a wooden desk, with your fat ass resting on a wooden chair."
As he spoke, Robin's arms were pulled to either side by the corners of the wooden desk that had stretched into thin wooden cable by Hashirama's command.
Tied that way, Robin could only glare at him with slight fear hidden under her eyes.
Hashirama couldn't control the trees he hadn't created. Not yet, he noted. However, dry wood, as in dead trees– like chairs, tables and such– could be controlled and manipulated in any shape as long as he applied more than usual chakra into them.
With that in mind, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the room of a wooden building was his personal domain.
"I know who you are, Nico Robin." Hashirama said, unwilling to play hide-and-seek.
As he spoke, the wooden arms that were threatening her neck slowly returned to their original position.
"But rest assured, I am not here to threaten you with revealing that information."
When he said so, the desk that had stretched its corners into wooden cable to pull her arms like an eagle returned to normal too. Though by doing so, it also brought her arms closer, and therefore cuffed her hands against the wood of the desk.
"I am rather here to ask how you turned out this way."
Hashirama's gaze turned sad, driven by fake sympathy.
"Are you sure that the people of Ohara would have wanted their last archaeologist to become a criminal who killed children?"
"...."
"Would they say doing anything is fine, as long as you found the truth of the world?"
"...Shut up."
"Is this the true part of an archaeologist? Then perhaps, the Marines were right for once when they dubbed you as the 'Devil Child'—"
"Shut up!"
Robin yelled aloud as she tried to free herself. Even as she failed, her eyes glared deep into his skull, threatening to kill with just her gaze.
"...Don't disrespect my people. You know nothing."
"Your people? You mean those bunch of Ohara psychopaths who were in search of the ancient weapons to rule the worl–"
"Y-you! Shut up! Please! Shut up! Shut up-"
Hashirama slammed his fist on the table, making her yelp.
"You shut up."
"...."
"I actually don't give a fuck about your past. I really would have killed you for trying to kill me and my friends, but I feel particularly kind these days, so I didn't. I am giving you a chance to change and you should consider taking it."
"...."
A silence fell in the room and neither side broke it for the next minute.
A while later, Hashirama started speaking again.
"Jaguar D. Saul." Hashirama said just as Robin's eyes sprung up. "Does that name ring a bell?"
"...How do you know that name?"
"Ah, so you still remember him?"
"Are you a marine spy? Tell me."
"He was a kind man. The definition of a gentle giant."
"Hey, tell me!"
"What do you think he would say if he returned from death and saw the girl he saved in exchange for his own life, now making a living by killing innocent children?"
This time, Robin didn't persuade him to tell her his identity.
"Look back and think, Nico Robin. Is this really the right path you have taken? Even after so many sacrifices were made only for you?"
Even as she clenched her jaws and glared, Robin's eyes were teary by then, threatening to break if he spoke another word.
"Do you really want to drive such a nice and prospering kingdom to its destruction just because you wanna know what's in a stone that's been written almost a millennia ago? You fucking lunatic."
Robin's tears started to trail down her cheeks. When he matched her glare, she slowly looked away. She bit her lip and blood sprung out of it, but he didn't react in the slightest at the show.
After a long silence, she finally spoke, this time in a much calmer voice.
"...What's your point?" she asked. "I don't believe you are only here to 'ask me how I turned out this way'."
"Stop helping Sir Crocodile." Hashirama said. "That's the point I am trying to make. Crocodile is a man that needs to be taken down for the survivability of millions of lives."
"...Sooner or later, he would succeed even without my help."
"Then I- no, then we just have to take him down before that time can come."
Hashirama deliberately changed his sentence to include her in this.
When she blinked before frowning in confusion, he smiled.
"Nico Robin, believe me when I say it's never too late. Join me and help me take down the evil that looms over this land. Redeem yourself."
"...You can't defeat-"
"In exchange for your help, I promise to let you read Alabasta's Poneglyph."
Robin went silent again.
—-
As silence stretched in the room, Nico Robin looked at him with narrowed eyes.
'He is the… most suspicious, and dangerous person I have met.' Robin realised; she had met a lot of people. 'He's just a kid, yet he knows about Ohara, the Poneglyphs, and Ancient Weapons…'
On the other hand, she had basically nothing on his name.
Now this guy was calling her out to join hands with him. Robin was confused. Would it be right to trust a kid with this thick of a mystery veil around him?
'But the things he spoke of…' Robin gulped. 'He spoke of everything that I didn't want to tell myself. The things that I wanted to ignore and keep on the back of my head.'
This guy was a master of manipulation, Robin soon realised. But… perhaps he wasn't that way with the intention to harm her, or anybody for that matter.
With a soft heave of breath, Robin spoke while looking at him. This time, she was far calmer than before.
"I don't know who you really are, or how you know all this. From my perspective, you are a strange guy. Trusting you would be a bad idea." She said.
"Though I can make a few guesses. Your sister has a suspicious background so perhaps she told you about the Poneglyph and the Ancient Weapon. But that's where my guesses end. I don't understand how you know about Saul, and his sacrifice for me. I can't trust you."
"...Fair enough."
"You should answer me truthfully, if you want my support. Are you reading my mind? Or is this something beyond that?"
When she asked that with a serious expression, Hashirama hesitated.
"Alright… But does that information really matter?"
"It does."
Robin kept staring into his eyes.
"I don't trust a man who I can't understand."
"Are you saying you understand Crocodile?"
"...Somewhat."
Robin hesitated for a second.
"But you? Not at all."
She couldn't be moved. A second of thought later, Hashirama nodded.
"It's indeed something beyond mind reading." He said. "Past Sight? Or something like that. I won't go into details. I am telling you this much only because I know you won't sell me." He smiled. "Right?"
"...."
She would sell him, if it benefited her.
However, a part of her said he knew her thought process, yet revealed that information. Perhaps he was just lying, she had no way to make sure. But his explanation did make some sense. Devil Fruits were weird like that, after all.
Though it posed a question… and a possibility.
Could he see 800 years into the past?
Didn't this kid have the greatest possibility to become an archaeologist?
Robin felt a little jealous.
'Stop thinking about it, Robin. He said -something like that- so maybe he can't do it…'
Robin sighed.
'What a pity.'
Hashirama continued after seeing she's been silent for a while.
"In any case, my point is, I promise to not sell your name to the marines even if you do or do not join me. However, if and when I defeat Crocodile on my own, the Marines will find you anyway."
"...."
"From today's talk, you should realise a 'strange guy' such as I has a better chance at taking down Crocodile than the other way around." Hashirama said. "That means, you have a better chance at survival with me by your side."
Robin's expression turned complicated.
Slowly, Hashirama reached out his hands forward just as Robin's hands were released from the cable. He gently grabbed her hands with his own and then brought them closer to his face.
"You are with Crocodile because of protection, yes? I promise to give you better protection under me." He smiled. "Of course, that coming from a kid may sound like a bluff, but let's not forget I am no mere child."
Robin was looking at him suspiciously.
"Besides," Hashirama slowly nudged her hands to clasp his face softly. "A young vigorous boy can do a lot for his crush, you know?"
Robin immediately pulled her hands away from his cheeks.
—-
Hashirama laughed at her reaction.
"It was a joke." He said. "Though I kinda hoped you'd fall for it."
"I am not an idiot."
"I mean I am indeed a young vigorous teen, can't I have feelings for a beautiful woman?"
"You better stop this otherwise I end the meeting right here."
"Alright, okay." Hashirama quickly raised his arms defensively. "I am sorry."
"...."
"In any case, about my offer…"
"I need time to think."
"No. It's either now or never."
Hashirama dropped his act and his smile vanished.
"I don't have years on my hands."
"...."
He crossed his arms and stared at her silently while Robin was left to clash on her head.
In the end, she couldn't find any reason why this kid would want to harm her. He seemed like a rather nice lad, willing to risk fighting a warlord just to keep the people of this land safe.
Besides, the words he spoke to her at the start… each of them stung. She couldn't anymore bring herself to work with Crocodile's plans after this. So if she were to leave anyway, why shouldn't she take a shot against Crocodile just for the sake of it?
Perhaps that'd really redeem her past, just like this kid said.
"...Alright."
After a long moment of judgement, she nodded.
"I don't trust you, but I will work with you. Just this once."
Robin continued with her gaze as suspicious as ever.
"I will help you take down Sir Crocodile. However, I cannot promise to permanently work under you for protection. If–and I mean it when I say 'if'–you are able to defeat Crocodile, I would rather leave this place. You wouldn't try to stop me using either excuses or force. Is that clear?"
"As clear as water." Hashirama reached out a hand for a handshake. "Nice talking to you."
After observing his hand for a while, Nico Robin carefully took it.
"...I hope this wasn't one of my foolish decisions."
"I hope so, too."
Hashirama smiled a little while Robin kept looking at him in suspicion.
As he firmly shook hands with her, their alliance of a Tree and a Flower was formed.
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