Chapter 103

The marketplace of Water 7 was a living canvas of colour, rhythm and laughter. It was pulsing like a heartbeat beneath the crisp, salt-stained sky, sprawled out in curved alleys and wide water-streets where the sun fell like liquid gold over the marble stoned walkways. Sea bulls coasted through the canals with passengers atop them, gliding like fish through the watery veins of the city. And at the center of it all was the market, noisy, glittering, half carnival and half chaos, alive with a thousand barters and bickers.

It was here that three pirates–loud, chirpy, unmissable–came flying in on the backs of their renter bulls, their laughter and joy showing on their faces.

Luffy was giggling as his sea bull rammed gently into the side of a market stall, almost knocking over a side of a market stall of carved coral jewellery, after one hell of a downstream ride.

"Let's do that again!" he shouted, limbs flailing, only to be pulled back by the collar of his shirt by an already irate Nami.

"Not unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a dish washer or a festival clown to pay off damages," she snapped, dragging both Luffy and Usopp by their ears, ignoring their twin howls of pain and betrayal. "We're here for an exchange. Not to wreck the place and pay for it," she stated as she dragged the duo to the shop with bold letters.

The trio carrying their respective hauls arrived at the exchange counter, which looked like a large domed stall with hanging banners that shimmered in the wind, declaring "WE BUY GOLD! FAIR PRICES GUARANTEED!" in bold, obnoxious fonts. Behind the desk sat a sleek man, too sleek, with curled sideburns and rings on every finger. And even he was wearing a mask, painted like a jester's grin, which gave no hint of the greed lurking behind him.

"Ah, esteemed customers!" the man said, his voice too sweet, like syrup hiding the taste of a rotten food. "Welcome to the Grand Galleon Exchange! How may I–" he stopped, his eyes wide behind the mask as Luffy, Usopp and Nami unloaded their stash before him.

Shimmering crowns, ornate goblets, pretty necklaces, relics carved from gold, artifacts looked too ancient and various other kinds of gold tumbled onto his desk in glittering clinks. The man inhaled sharply at the quantity and pure quality of gold before him, before his mask tilted up again with a practiced smile.

"Well, well, you've brought some rather.. Lovely trinkets," the man commented, his tone breezy and casual.

"Tell us the amount you will give in exchange for this," Nami stated confidently, while Usopp and Luffy kept quiet, letting the woman do the talking.

The man picked up one of the trinkets, clearly seeing the purity of the gold and its value. "I can offer you.. Let's say.. A hundred million belli. Do we have a deal?"

"A HUNDRED MILLION!?" Usopp and Luffy were already having stars in their eyes, their noses flaring, brains short circuiting at the zeroes. "WE'RE RICH!"

They started spinning each other in place like fools at a festival winning a lottery, already daydreaming about banquet halls and meat towers, ship repairs and bronze statutes.

"Yes, these are worth every penny of it," the shopkeeper stated with a crisp and shaky voice. "These look ancient and high quality. The best gold you can possibly find."

But Nami didn't utter a word. She was already pulling up a chair with the grace of a woman done with everyone's idiocy. She sat down with her back straight, one eyebrow raised, then lifted her foot with calm theatricality and slammed it onto the edge of the table, just shy of crushing a golden chalice.

The noise cut through the market's chatter like a whip crack, making the shopkeeper freeze.

"I have three things to tell you, Mr. Appraiser," Nami said cooly, her gaze slicing through the mask.

"One," she raised a single finger, "the little idiot you see grinning over like a kid? That's Monkey D. 'Strawhat' Luffy, the Captain of the Strawhat Pirates, with a 200 million bounty on his head. So before you get any clever ideas, know exactly who you're shortchanging."

The shopkeeper visibly twitched, rubbing his hands nervously. He was even getting paler as he noticed Strawhat Luffy's smile stretching into an inhumane smile.

"Two," Nami's voice dropped an octave, soft and lethal. "I don't think your offer is good enough. So, if you try to scam us again, I'll personally get 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro to cut your head and feed it to the Sea Kings. They're very hungry this season."

The mask man trembled slightly.

"And three," she leaned in, her tone suddenly bright and saccharine, "if you so much as breathe in the direction of a scam again, I'll rig your shop to explode, and send your ashes to your mother."

The shopkeeper's gloved hands trembled over the register, his voice suddenly hollow behind the jester's mask.

"W-W-W-Well, upon.. closer inspection," he stammered, his fingers now dancing across a calculator with desperate speed, "I see that this collection is… is truly priceless. The purity… very rare. Very… very ancient craftsmanship!"

He chuckled nervously, pushing the gold back across the table as if it were cursed. "A-And, I would be a fool to insult such fine pirates with anything less than the true value. Therefore, I shall offer you the exact amount this treasure deserves."

With a snap of his fingers, three assistants emerged from behind the curtains, each carrying a heavy suitcase, glossy black with golden clasps, huffing slightly under the weight.

"Four hundred and fifty million," the man declared, placing his palm reverently atop the middle case. "One hundred and fifty million in each suitcase."

Luffy and Usopp gasped like children who had just been given an entire festival's worth of candy.

"WE'RE SUPPER RICH AGAIN!" they shouted in unison, grabbing their cases and spinning around in place, only to nearly knock them over again with excitement.

Nami, meanwhile, smiled sweetly. "Smart choice," she said, snapping the suitcase locks open briefly to confirm the crisp stacks of notes inside. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The shopkeeper bowed deeply, sweat trailing down the side of his mask. "May the Sea Kings bless your journey, great Strawhat Pirates!"

"May they eat you last," Nami replied cheerfully, hoisting her suitcase and turning on her heel.

And with that, the trio walked off into the market with Luffy practically skipping, Usopp struggling to balance his case on one shoulder, and Nami leading the charge.

.

The midday sun was hanging low and warm, casting soft golden light across the deck of the Going Merry, which was rocking with a gentle lull, mooring at the edge of a less crowded canal, tucked beneath the arching stone shadow of a bridge, as if resting from the sadness of the morning.

And resting with his back pressed against the main mast, too, was Roronoa Zoro. With his swords laying across his lap, unmoving but ready. His head tilted slightly downward, with a shadow falling over his closed eyes. To a trained eye, he wasn't asleep, or vulnerable, or a prize ripe for the taking.

But not to the man now leaping silently over the railing, landing with a soft thud muffled by thick boots. Nor to the half dozen figures that crept in behind him, fanning out like wolves across the deck.

"Oi," the first intruder murmured, his voice audible to only him, as he pulled out twin daggers that gleamed dangerously. "Didn't think you'd snoozing, Pirate Hunter. Thought you'd be sharper than the gossip."

The first intruder took a step, his boot scraping forward and raised the twin daggers for the kill, his mind already thinking about the many riches he would get. The many girls he'd spend the night with–

Clink!

Steel flashed. Metal clinked, and before the first intruder could even process what had just happened, the tip of Wado Ichimonji was pressed against the base of his throat.

Zoro cracked open an eye. "..You're too loud," Zoro said flatly, voice gravelled by sleep but steady as tempered steel. "You're also stupid."

The man didn't flinch, but it wasn't because of courage, but because he was too stunned to understand what had just happened.

"..Thought you were sleeping," the intruder mumbled, faking confidence until he could make it.

"Who the hell are you?" Zoro asked instead, his other hand resting lazily on Sandai Kitetsu's hilt.

There was a rustle behind but Zoro didn't need to look to know that there were more of them. He could already hear their breathing from the moment they stepped on their precious home.

"Ahahaha! You hear that, boys? He doesn't know!" a new voice chimed in, theatrical and overconfident. Maybe he thought that strength was in numbers. "The great Pirate Hunter doesn't know who he's dealing with!"

Zoro raised a brow.

"Allow us the honour," said another, stepping forward dramatically with a bright feather boa wrapped around his chest. "We're the FRANKY FAMILY! Kids cry when they see us!"

A chorus of dramatically bad poses followed, each one more garish than the last Glittered masks, outrageous boots, and striped suspenders. It filled Zoro's peripheral vision like a fever dream of fashion gone rogue.

"..You scare kids off just by standing around, don't you?" Zoro deadpanned.

"What?!"

"I'm serious," Zoro sweatdropped. "You don't even need to threaten them. Just walk into the town square and they'll piss themselves."

There was a stunned silence, with the members of the Franky Family contemplating if Zoro was insulting or complimenting them.

But that didn't stay for long, as the first intruder–still with Wado at his throat–hissed and took a cautious step back, lowering his dagger but staying on guard.

"We've been tailing your ship since you docked," the first intruder boasted. "Your bounty's 75 million. That's no small change. You're worth a lot dead, pirate hunter."

"Yeah," added another, grinning through a cracked mask, "and once we're done with you, we'll just wait right here on this cozy little ship, tucked away until your crew returns. That captain of yours with a 200 million bounty is the real prize after all."

"And he's just a brat," someone snorted from behind. "A lanky little brat."

Zoro's eyes twitched. There was a subtle shift in the air, not enough for amateurs to register, but enough to send a prickle down the spines of anyone with half a warrior's instinct.

"You lot talk too much," Zoro commented before moving. There was no warning, no flourish. Just one sword and the absolute intention to silence the intruders to oblivion.

Within seconds, Wado sliced clean through steel. Within one single arc, it had carved through the chaos like a knife through paper lanterns. Deflecting daggers. Sidestepping fists. Sending the intruders into the canal with a loud, watery thunk.

Zoro didn't even draw his second sword. He didn't need to.

Moments later, the deck was empty again, save for Zoro, adjusting the band of his harmaki as if annoyed that his nap had been disturbed. Walking to the railing, he peered down. The water frother below where the Franky Family had landed, a pile of sputtering limbs and bruised pride.

Zoro sighed. "Franky family, huh..?" he muttered, rolling the name on his tongue. "So that's the Franky Luffy wants to recruit?"

He glanced at the slowly bobbing shapes down below and shook his head. "..Poor bastards. Guess their fate's already sealed."

.

The market district of Water 7 was a kaleidoscope of wonder, alive with the hum of voices, sizzling street stalls, and fluttering banners painted in copper and violet. Crates of fruit stacked high like pyramid banners painted in copper and violet. Crates of fruit were stacked high like pyramids, vendors barking out discounts in a dozen accents, and above it all, the winds were playing among the rooftop wires.

Robin strolled quietly along the edge of the crowd, while Chopper trotted beside her in his reindeer form, with his hooves patting gently against the cobbled path, his eyes shining with delight at the bustling life around them. But what caught Chopper's attention the most weren't the steaming dumpling carts or the syrup-sweetened shaved ice vendors.

It was the masks.

Hundreds of people–some tourists, locals and even the vendors–were walking, others riding sea bulls or chatting animatedly in groups, were clad in intricate, vividly painted masks. Some were shaped like foxes curling lashes and scarlet eyes; others bore the blank, eerie faces of mimes or the glittering, exaggerated grin of jesters.

"Robin.." Chopper started, slowing as he peered up at a masked woman who drifted past like a ghost in silks. "Why are there so many people wearing masks?"

Robin's smile curved softly as she brushed her gentle fingers against Chopper's hat. "There's a talk of a masquerade," she said, having made a habit of keeping her eyes open to gather information. This was quite handy in gathering information and knowing when to flee for life. "A citywide celebration, held once every few years. I've been hearing whispers all morning," her eyes wandered towards a line of men in lacquered bone masks discussing music and tailoring. "Perhaps they are preparing for the festivities already."

Chopper's eyes widened in excitement. "A masquerade? Like a party with dancing and masks and sparkly lights?"

"That's the idea," Her tone was light, but her gaze was always sweeping over the countless people, trying to gather information and observation. "Would you like to go? We could join in before we return."

"Yes! Yes!" Chopper bounced in place, his ears flapping, and tail wagging with joy. "We should get masks for everyone! Luffy would love it! He could be a lion! Or a meatball!"

Robin let out a soft laugh, the kind that curled like warmth through her ribs. It was enough to slightly surprise her too. She was really beginning to like the Strawhat Pirates, especially the goofy, childish, god captain. "A terrifying meatball. Truly the stuff of nightmares."

Chopper laughed like a carefree child enjoying shows. "What about Zoro?" he asked eagerly.

Robin tilted her head thoughtfully. "Something stoic. Hm.. maybe a oni mask?"

"Ohh!" Chopper gasped, pointing at a greenish mask with sharp tusks and gold fangs. "Zoro would look so cool in that! Like a demon from the underworld!"

"And Sanji?" Robin asked, her tone light but amused.

Chopper beamed. "A heart for a face! Or maybe a swan! With curly eyebrows on the sides!"

Robin stifled a laugh behind her hand, picturing it far too easily. "Yes. The Swan of Love."

"And Nami would look pretty in a butterfly mask!" Chopper chirped. "Something sparkly, with wings!"

Robin nodded, genuinely smiling and feeling light in her heart. "With golden patterns and amethyst eyes. She would shine brighter than the festival lights."

"And Usopp! He could wear a long nosed tengu mask! To match!" Chopper excitedly pointed to the one he saw displayed in a shop.

"That would suit him far too well." Robin smiled, as they continued walking side by side, the noise of the crowd swallowing them up again.

Chopper continued pointing at masks while Robin admired a stall covered in ivory feathered designs, mentally picking which would suit each of their crewmates. They were really having fun, but Robin had learnt in her life that whenever she felt she was safe, she was no longer in harm's way. Something always happened. But staying with Luffy and the Strawhat pirates had made her relax, made her think that maybe.. maybe she can be okay with them and stop running away–

"..CP9."

Robin's head snapped towards the noise, but there was no one there. Only a crowd of masks, colors and noise, melting together. The man clad in white, who was near her a moment ago was gone. The man who Robin had let pass near her, was gone, after whispering against her ear like a death sentence.

Her heart was racing. Her eyes were frantically looking everywhere, expecting someone to leap out of their cover and attack.

Robin's breathing fast. Too fast. As the colors from her vision faded. The music dimmed. The crowds blurred. All she could hear was the ghost of the whispered name, echoing in her skull, reminding her of the future which she had been dreading for years.

CP9.

That name wasn't supposed to exist. Not anywhere. Not here. Not now. Not in this beautiful city of water, drenched in laughter and sunlight. Not while the Strawhat Pirates were here.

But it did. It had been spoken, directly, purposefully, and only to her. They wanted to lure her in. Call her to an unknown place and then…

Robin felt her entire body tremble and shiver at the implications. Back in the years, when she was still running and running, away from all the people, keeping an eye and learning about whom to avoid at all costs. When she was learning back in the rooms where her name even was an offense and her breath was a crime. Back in the quiet places, where she first heard of them. The World government's invisible sword and shield. The assassins which were wrapped in silence and mystery. Shadows that were trained from birth to kill without hesitation or remorse. The ones who dirtied their hand the most for the World Government without even asking anything.

CP9. Or, Cipher Pol Number Nine. A branch of unofficial enforcers even the other Cipher Pols whispered about in hushed voices and maybe knew almost nothing about them. Because unlike the other Cipher Pols who were specialized at information gathering, the CP9 were the executioners.

Robin had known. She had always known, somewhere deep within her, that if she was ever seen, ever truly seen by the Government, they would be the ones to come. And now they were here. In this city of laughter and sunlight. In this moment, where she had dared to believe in peace.

Robin's breath came thin and shallow. Her vision was swimming.

'They'll come for me. They'll come for the crew.'

But 'come' was a very light word, because Robin knew that they wouldn't come, but kill.

The moment they would identify her.. There would be no trial. No warning. The strawhats would die before they even knew they were being hunted. And Luffy.. He would be forced to watch or turn to Nika and die.

Robin clenched her jaw, as the goofy smile of Luffy painted itself in her mind. Luffy, her captain, had taken her in, knowing full well that she was a fugitive, that the world wanted her dead. But he had smiled anyway and accepted it.

That's why she can't do this to them. No, never. Her feet were already moving. Towards the alley, towards the silence between the two buildings where she could see men clad in white uniform and masks waiting. Her body was moving like a puppet's–lifeless and pulled forward by threads of guilt and fear and obligation. Her hands were trembling at her sides. Her face felt feverish and clammy.

This was it. She would give herself up. Before they could be traced back to the ship. Before Chopper–sweet, innocent Chopper–could even see one of them, or worse be dragged along with her. Before Zoro or Sanji or Luffy could lift a finger in her defense. She would die. And they would live. That was the only way, without losing anyone. Because she wasn't a fool to not know that the government was keeping a look out for the Strawhats too for being involved with the 3C's. But if she dies, maybe the government can overlook the Strawhats once–

"Robin?" Chopper's voice was soft, laced with concern, as if he had almost called for her more than once and she hadn't responded.

Robin blinked, the haze in her eyes clearing for a moment to see the tiny frame of Chopper, not behind her, but beside her, tugging at the hem of her coat. Robin turned her head down, slowly, as if resurfacing from underwater, and saw Chopper's face. His eyes were so wide and round and terribly honest, shimmering with confusion and worry.

But Robin only registered the confusion in Chopper's face, when she saw him scared. But not of her. For her.

"Robin.. Are you okay?" Chopper's so tiny voice asked, his eyes focused on her.

And Robin's mask cracked under it all. The mask she had worn all her life. The one that said nothing could touch her. The one that let her walk through fire without flinching.

Robin's lips trembled. Her eyes shook in their sockets, hot with unshed fear and tears. Even her hands were shaking. But so were her knees. She could feel her body getting cold, like she had been emptied and filled with ice. And still, Chopper was looking at her, not asking, not accusing, not demanding, just there waiting for her.

The wind blew a lock of her hair across her face and suddenly, her mind was flooded with memories not of death and fear, not of hiding and tears, but of them.

Of Chopper falling asleep beside her while she was reading a story to him. Of his tear stained face after Luffy's death, of his words of how he never wanted to lose any of them–of her too.

Of Luffy, the idiot who had welcomed her with eyes wide and heart open, knowing full well she was hunted. Of his words of how she would never have to be scared as long as he is there.

Of Sanji's deserts, of his respect for her, of his passion and love whenever she would tend to ramble about one of the historic books which caught her attention.

Of Nami and her late night gossip and talks, when neither of them could fall asleep. Of her love for money and treasures. Of their sunbasking on the deck of the Merry.

Of Zoro's quiet nods at her, of his quiet gazes, reassuring that everything was fine and no one was gonna attack them in the ship even in their sleep. Of the late evenings, hearing him count while working out.

Of Usopp's new inventions as he presented it to them. Of his banter with Chopper and Luffy. Of his long tales which he could cook in seconds.

Tears gathered in Robin's eyes as she recalled the memories in a flash. Realizing that she wasn't alone anymore. Not now. Not again.

Robin's breath hitched, as she wiped the slight tears in her eyes and took a step forward. Not toward the alley. Not towards death. But toward Chopper.

She took one more step, watching Chopper's turning from concerned to worried. But then she ran. Robin's feet slammed against the stone, and her arms reached out and scooped the little reindeer into her chest, hoisting him mid-stride without breaking pace.

"Robin?!" Chopper yelped, but clung to her without hesitation.

Robin didn't answer. She tore through the crowd, her heart pounding like a war drum. The vendors blurred. The masks spun past her vision in streaks of white and red and gold and other colors. She shoved aside dancers and merchants, shoved through knots of people laughing and shouting, and didn't stop. She didn't care who she collided with. Didn't care if someone shouted after her. Didn't care that her hair was tangled or that Chopper was too quiet, as if sensing her panic. As if sensing that they were being followed.

All Robin knew, at that moment, was that she had to reach Merry. To find Luffy. Or Zoro. Or Sanji. Or someone. Anyone. Because if she could just see one of them, if she could just say it out loud that CP9 is here, they would know what to do. They'd ground her. Help her. Protect Chopper and her. No. The crew will work together to protect each other. Maybe they had a chance, they did get training from the Cyra after all.

.

From the shadowed alley of Water 7, four masked figures observed the scene. They had thought that they had gotten the devil woman but then she had started running while picking up her companion.

"The Devil's Child is fleeing," Blueno said, voice flat as stone. "Standard deviation from expected behavior."

Kumadori cracked his neck with a flourish, his wild locks of hair whipping behind him as he crouched forward, coiled like a spring. "She has revealed herself! Yoyoiii! I shall apprehend her, NOWWWW!" and without waiting for a command, he lunged from their hiding place in a spiral motion, his cape trailing behind him like a storm cloud.

"Bleuno!" he shouted mid-air. "To the hunt, my brother-in-darkness!"

Blueno exhaled once, his expression unreadable, before stepping off the alley after him, his body flickering into soru speed as he vanished into the descending crowd.

"Tch," Kalifa muttered, lowering her lenses with a slow blink. She watched as the two barreled into the festival below, plowing through masked civilians without so much as a word of warning. A fruit stand was soon shattered. A musician was thrown into a canal. Screams burst like firecrackers beneath the sound of bells.

Kalifa's gaze didn't waver. Not a flicker of emotion passed over her face as a child was nearly tramped, as the mother yanked them back just in time. Kalifa merrily adjusted the lace cuff of her glove, brushing imaginary dust from her wrist and turned toward the figure still leaning silently against the railing.

"Well?" she asked coolly. "They've already started a parade of idiocy. What now, Lucy?"

Rob Lucci remained silent for a while, still observing the retreating figure of Nico Robin in the crowd. His arms were folded, his dove preening gently upon his shoulder.

"She ran too fast," Kalifa said. "Almost reflexively."

"She chose to run." Lucci replied without any emotion in his voice. "But it wasn't for herself," he turned his eyes to the reindeer in Nico Robin's arms. "Her movements are too wild."

"She's exposed herself emotionally," Kalifa said, crisp and calm. "Uncharacteristic of her to display panic in public space… Clearly, the Strawhat Pirates are a weakness."

Lucci nodded once. "We don't need to catch her now. We need to observe. Wait for her to show it to us."

.

Sanji stood before a stall overflowing with fat red tomatoes, selecting each with the discerning position of a groom selecting engagement rings. One hand of his was hovering over a basket of onions while the other held a bouquet of green onions like a fragrant bouquet meant for a goddess.

A dreamy grin curled on his lips and his cigarette dangled precariously as he pictured it all. A candlelit dinner in the middle of Merry's deck, with Nami in something fiery red and Robin in silky black. They would clink glasses. He would cook. They would swoon and sing his praises. He would feed them with his own ha–

"Marimo'll probably interrupt again," Sanji muttered, scowling to himself. "But not this time, Mosshead. This time, it'll be a perfect date."

He spun on one foot, his coat fluttering dramatically as he held up a bunch of leeks. "Yes, leeks with mushroom-stuffed lamb–" he stopped, his eyes widening. Because, barrelling through the street like a vision of grace and chaos all at once, was Robin.

She was running fast. And in her arms, crushed like a wide-eyed plush doll, was Chopper.

Sanji's brain short circuited at the sight. "Robin-chwaannnnn!!"

Time seemed to slow down. Winds swept through his hair as Sanji placed one hand over his heart.

"What elegance! What motherly strength! What tender squish!" his eyes sparkled as he imagined himself in Chopper's place, cradled against her soft chest, embraced by those long, strong arms.

But Chopper, the poor creature, looked like his soul had already begun ascending to the moon. His tiny hooves were splayed awkwardly in mid air, and his eyes were glassy and stretched comically wide, and yet there was nothing comedic about the sheer terror etched into his features. The small doctor, who had once danced with Luffy during the thunderstorms, now looked like he had seen the gates of hell opening behind him.

While Robin, from a distance, was the picture of grace. Her stride was long and balanced. Her coat flowed like water behind her. Her expression was neutral and calm even, as if she was merely coming to jump into his embrace.

But Sanji's eyes caught the truth behind the illusion. She saw the single bead of sweat clung to the soft curve beneath her ear. Glistening there for a breath before sliding down the pale skin of her neck, vanishing beneath the dark collar of her coat. Her brows, usually delicately arched in serene poise, were tight. Pinched just above the nose, the way one might react to a sudden sound or the creeping realization.. that they were being followed.

Robin's lips, though closed, were quivering. Not visible to the casual observer but Sanji noticed the subtle tremble at the corner, the faint press of her teeth behind them. And those deep, midnight eyes that usually held half smiles and knowing secrets, weren't focused.

Even Chopper's eyes were locked onto something behind her, wide with silent dread.

They were running. Fleeing. With Chopper's eyes flickering across the crowd. Scanning rooftops. Looking through people, not at them.

Robin's whole body language–not visible to anyone but Sanji–screamed that she was terrified. But she wore it like silk, pressed behind her cheekbones, buried beneath her posture, smoothed over by years of practice… of fleeing.

Sanji's chest tightened. His fingers curled around the bouquet of leeks without realizing it, crumpling the tops.

And then, in the space between one breath and the next, Robin's eyes flicked up for the briefest moment and found his. Robin's gaze locked onto him from across the square and for that brief moment, her mask faltered. And Sanji saw her. Not the archaeologist, not the quiet adult in the room, not the worldly beauty with a dark past. But the woman gripped by the same cold, primal fear that had once clawed through his own bones back in the North Blue. The kind of fear that didn't stem from the possibility of death, but from the certainty of it.

Robin didn't shout his name. She didn't wave or explain. She just ran past him, one of her hand pulling him with them as she whispered just one word through clenched teeth, barely audible over the rush of air and adrenaline.

"CP9."

Sanji's head turned sharply towards Robin, watching her as they continued running without pause, nver breaking stride, her hands still tightly wrapped around Chopper and his own.

"Wha?! Wait! What? CP what?" Sanji asked, trying to make sense of it. But Robin didn't look back at him. However, Chopper did, just for a second, turning his head over his shoulder, his muzzle trembling and him smiling at Sanji–a small, shaky smile full of apology and fear.

Sanji's heart sank like lead. There were no flirty words in his mind or any fantasy. Because something is wrong.

Sanji spun for a brief moment, following Chopper's terrified gaze and saw two men. Cloaked. Moving too fast. One being freakishly large and springy, bounding along walls like an acrobat. The other, square shouldered, unnervingly composed, simply parting the crowd by running through it. Making the civilians scream and scramble to the side like sheep in a wolf's shadow.

Sanji's eyes narrowed, clearly seeing the tell-tale sign of Soru being used by one of them.

"Two of them," he muttered. "I can handle two. You go ahead and–"

Robin shook her head immediately. "No. Not again. Not alone," Robin's voice was sharp, cracking slightly, and her grip on his hand tightening.

Robin's voice was cracking and Sanji suddenly understood. That she had already tried to carry this alone before. That she didn't want to be saved, not like that. She didn't want to run, or be the reason they bled. She just didn't want to lose them.

Sanji bit back the urge to stop and fight, the instinct screaming in his legs. Because right now, her trust mattered more than his anger. He ran, shoulder to shoulder with a woman unraveling at the edges, with a little doctor gripping her like a lifeline, and with death not far behind them. He ran not because he feared the men chasing them. But because he feared what would happen if Robin lost her family again.

"Alright," he said, voice low and flanking her side now, shielding her without asking. "We'll run. But once we get to the Merry, I swear I am gonna beat the crap out of those two freaks the second you feel safe."

They turned sharply onto a quieter road leading to the harbor canals. Merry's mast was visible slightly more in the distance between stone walls. But then Sanji's eyes flickered to the rooftop once. Because there was a man flying overhead.

'Air Walk.' Sanji's mind corrected him, reminding him of all the sessions with Luffy.

Arms behind his back, body titled slightly like a bird drifting effortlessly on wind, his long nosed face catching the sun as he soared above them.

Sanji's eyes widened. "..Usopp?"

The man who had been looking–no, staring–at them, flashed a friendly smile. Not in Usopp's shy, awkward grin. But a smooth one.

"That's not Usopp," Chopper muttered under his shaky breath. His eyes back on the two men chasing after them. "Usopp can't sky walk."

Sanji's blood went cold as he came to the same realization. He looked at Robin and noticed that she hadn't even seen the Usopp-look-a-like. She was too focused, too locked on reaching the ship.

Paranoia flooded Sanji's veins like ice water. He clenched his jaw, tasting copper beneath the smoke curling at the edge of his tongue. He could hear Robin's footsteps quickening behind him, ragged and desperate, her grip on his hand tighter now, like she was afraid he'd disappear if she let go. Chopper's breathing was uneven, rasping faintly as he clung to her, one eye still turned behind them like prey who knew the predator was close.

But then Sanji saw the Going Merry, her tattered flag trembling in the wind like a hand reaching out and Zoro's silhouette now rising at the rail.

Sanji's eyes burned beneath his lashes. "We're close," he muttered under his breath, more to Robin and Chopper than himself. "Just a bit more."

'Let them come. Let them try.' Because Sanji would remember every one of their faces. Every footstep. Every sneer. And the moment Robin and Chopper stood safely on the deck, he would light the whole damn 'CP9' on fire.