Sense of Justice
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The world burned in front of her and she was powerless to stop it. Sitting atop that tiny boat, she stared ahead into the blaze, feeling cold despite the intense heat she could feel all the way out at sea. There she sat, all alone, her home destroyed and her friends left on the island. Now, it was just her, herself, and her own; yet even there in the solitude of the sea, she could still hear their voices. “Why are you leaving Ohara behind Robin? Why are you leaving Saul?” The cruel voices whispered to her ears.
“Saul told me to run away,” She whispered, her vision wavering as she felt wetness fall down her cheeks. Reaching up, she felt tears upon her eyes. Why was she crying? Wouldn’t Saul want her to smile and laugh? To laugh away the pain, those were his words, right?
“H-he told me to run away,” She told herself as she forced a smile upon her face even as she found her chest aching. Facing the island, she let out a laugh, its hollow tone ringing in her ears as she stared at her home ablaze. She laughed, letting her voice be carried by the wind for that was all she could do. If she could not laugh, what else did she have?
She tried to keep a smile upon her face, yet she could not hold back the tears. Even as she fought against the sadness and pain with all her might, it would not go away. And so, she laughed so much. She laughed until her sides hurt. She laughed until she felt her heart break. She laughed so much that she started to cry.
“I need to run away,” She cried out as rowed to sea, to her friends out there in the deep blue. There would be someone out there that would help her right? And so, she poured her heart out while she rowed as hard as she could, leaving the island behind lest she was consumed by the fire.
Despite her best efforts, the fires came for her, reaching out to her over the water. The fire spread out from the island and she felt despair. She cried out as it surrounded her, trapping her in place before crawling towards her. She tried to get away, standing up as she swatted at the fires yet nothing could push them back. As helplessness consumed her, she felt her hands let go of her paddles.
She could run… she could find her friends out in the sea and fight it out but… her friends were already on Ohara. As she closed her eyes, she whispered, “Saul, you liar.” And she knew no more.
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Robin woke with a gasp, her heart pounding and sweat dripping down her forehead as she looked around frantically, eyes darting to take in her surroundings. Through the fog of fatigue and grogginess, she looked down where she’d find herself wrapped tightly in thick chains which were anchored upon the deck of the ship.
Groaning through her gag, she struggled as she tried to get up, confused at how she’d gotten there. She pushed herself up with shaky legs, but her strength would fail her; her limbs feeling almost like jelly as her legs gave out beneath her. Slumped on the deck, she felt the crushing weights of the chains around her as she was all but cocooned with them.
It wasn’t like it’d help her in her current situation, especially with all the marines running around. The white uniformed soldiers milled about the deck, tying ropes and manning the rigging while a large contingent of them surrounded her. Looking up to the bow of the ship, she found that a smaller frigate led the formation, and no doubt another ship was following them as well. Even if she could get up, it was not like she could escape, and it didn’t help that she was short of breath.
She didn’t know if it was due to the cloudy night sky that plunged the sea into darkness or if it was the cold that made her fingers go numb but she felt… tired, her mind foggy and her limbs like lead. Her breath came out in gasp, her lungs struggling to draw air as if she was submerged deep underwater. Not even her powers would come to her so she might free herself.
“Oh? Awake already and still moving despite how much seastone’s wrapped around you?” A voice called out. Turning, Robin would find a woman staring at her while sitting atop a barrel. With her short pants, her pink shirt and plunging neckline beneath that wide shouldered marine coat, she stood out among the uniformed crowd. “My, aren’t you a scary one.”
“I suggest you conserve your energy because not even a giant could break through those chains, being made of seastone and what not,” The woman said as she pulled out her sheathed sword from her belt and tapped the thick chains. With links thicker than her wrist, it was no wonder she could barely move at all, “Overkill, perhaps, but a necessary precaution given who you are, Nico Robin.”
Robin glared back at her, wincing as she remembered how she met her. Clenching her fist, she could still remember the burning hatred for that man… but also the hope he brought to her. She hadn’t hoped before, but maybe she could now. Still, she was captured and what was worse was who sat before her.
“Oh silly me, I forgot that the higher up had you gagged.” The woman laughed as she got up and walked up to her, pulling out her sword as she approached Robin. “Here, let me get that off you,“
Eyes widening, Robin frantically pushed herself away, trying to get some distance from her but there was nowhere to go. Flinching as the woman raised her sword, she prepared for the worst only to find the halves of her gag falling down onto the floor. Smirking at her, the woman then said, “I wanna hear just what the Demon of Ohara has to say for themselves,”
Robin worked her jaw, she locked gaze with the woman as she kept her mouth shut. The woman could play her games all she wanted, but she adamantly refused to talk to her.
“Not much of a talker huh? Fine by me,” The woman told her as she walked back to grab her seat and placed it close to her, “After all, I’m just your guard in prison, not your jailor… or maybe your executioner.” The woman shrugged as she plopped back on her seat, “I really don’t care, especially about a girl like you.”
Sheathing her sword, the woman started, “You’re quite a naughty girl, you know that? Framing an innocent man as a fearsome pirate so you could escape?” Reminding her of the incident from the ship and the man with a golden mane of hair. “It’s a good thing that I was the one sent to verify the claims of the Golden Lion’s appearance and not one of my hot headed senpai, things could have gotten real ugly.”
She grimaced at that. Even if it was mere hearsay or rumors from her… things could really have been so much worse. “He could have spoken up,” She whispered, her throat hoarse and her voice raspy. He could have spoken up yet he protected her. He knew who he was and what she represented along with the dangers yet he still helped her. “He knew what he was doing…” She whispered, looking down as the realization that the man was more than happy to just let her go. All she had to do was walk away, yet she allowed her own curiosity to get a hold of her.
They let out a hiss of disgust as she spat out, “Really? Still intent on dragging that boy into this mess, implicating him for crimes?” Robin glared up to explain herself but the woman cut her off, “How utterly ruthless, it’s no wonder you don’t have anyone. After all, who’d want to be friends with a girl willing to sell them out in a heartbeat.”
Robin felt ice fill her veins at her scathing words, anger bubbling up her chest along with shame. “They betrayed me first”, She thought to herself, “But how many more times have I done the same?” a small voice in the back of her head asked back.
Sneering at her, the woman continued, “He’s a sweet lad, you know, a bit too flirty for my tastes, but he’s certainly a charmer. His name was Genji, a native from some backwater island called Merveille.” Robin frowned at her words, remembering tales of an island that disappeared off the map, as if torn by a giant hand from the very bedrock but she had not the time to ask as the woman pressed on, “That was the name of the man whose life you were willing to trample on.”
Genji… so that was the name of that man. The emotions warred inside her head at the mere memories of his words. Guilt, shame, anger, hate, hope, all of them mixed inside, bubbling over until she could no longer contain them. Despite all of it, she couldn't help but want to meet him once more. The mere fact that Saul lived meant he knew more… but after what she did? She’d be lucky to get anything out of him.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at that. The one person who tried to actually help her was the person she didn’t trust. Her life must’ve been one big joke if that was the case, cursed to forever wander the seas alone, staining her hands further red with every waking moment.
Her little bout of self loathing earned her the ire of the rear admiral as the woman grabbed her by the face, forcing her to look up at her. “If your little plan had worked, an innocent man could have been thrown deep in Impel down,” The rear admiral scolded her.
Robin didn’t even resist, letting the woman treat her as trash. “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself? Do you even regret any of this?” The woman asked and Robin wanted to reply… yet what could she say? That she was sorry for all the people she had killed, that she should have just let herself captured?
“What do you want me to say?” She whispered back, averting her gaze at the woman. She struggled, yes… but did she really have to take this path? Did she really have to be so heartless? Was she justified living the way she did?
The woman could only look back at her in disgust as she pulled away, hands clenched around her sword. “Of all the scum in this world, I hate your kind the most,” The woman snarled out, thumbing her scabbard as if thinking of drawing it, “The ones without honor and loyalty, monsters willing to do anything to get ahead.”
“How many innocents have died at your hands? How many more would you have taken if you’d gotten to Alabasta?” The woman asked as she reached inside her coat and pulled out a familiar ticket, the one she had to pay with blood soaked hands, “How much blood now stains those hands of yours?” The marine rear admiral added as she ripped the ticket up and, with it, her hope to get away from the seas.
“Maybe it’s how you got out of that place in the first place,” The older woman mused as she turned away, walking away, but not before leaving some parting words that cut deeply, “Maybe you simply let innocent people in Ohara die so you would live?”
Robin clenched her teeth, barring them as she forced herself up at those words. Did she even know what she had to go through? Did she know how many people she lost that day? She let her hate fuel her, as she strained against her binding, making the woman pause as she turned back to her. She growled, breathing heavily as he forced herself up with the rage coursing through her veins. Even as her legs protested, she got up before she launched herself only to be yanked back as the chains jolted taut.
The marines around her cried out in alarm raising their guns at her but at this point, she couldn’t care for less as the person who dared speak their names without even bothering to know what happened that day stood before her. Roaring out, she dug her bare feet against the deck, wanting nothing more than to rip her apart with her own bare hands, “How dare y-!”
Robin was sent flying, landing hard against the deck as she felt her cheeks sting. The admiral had struck her, sending her a glare back at her. “Be angry as you want, but nothing will change what you are, a cold hearted demon,” The woman fired back as she motioned for to lower their weapons, “You’re a blight upon this world and, were it up to me, I would have executed you on the spot, but you’re fortunate that we live in a world where justice is meted out to those who deserve it.”
“And with what you’ve done in your short and miserable life, I’ll enjoy seeing you dancing in the gallows-!” The woman continued before she jolted in surprise, pulling her sword out in one swift pull before facing over to the portside of the ship, “You!?”
Robin looked at her in confusion before she turned to where she looked and found her breath taken away as she caught a glimpse of the golden lock atop the person's head. There, crouched upon the railing of the Marine Battleship was the man she thought was after her, the man she was willing to betray: Genji.
As their eyes met, the man simply smiled back at her in amusement before waving at her like they were close friends rather than mere strangers. “Genji?” She whispered, her confusion would only be compounded as the man mouthed back at her silently, “Let me handle this.”
It wouldn’t take long for the marines on board to finally catch on and turn their attention to the intruder. They shouted at him, threatening him with their weapons, but he just shifted in his seat, crossing his legs as he grinned at the rear admiral, ignoring all those around him. “My my, you're quite the cruel one Miss Rear Admiral,” The man teased, making the high ranking marine look at him in bewilderment.
“Genji?” The woman sputtered out, a bit of red coloring her cheeks before she caught her bearings. Frowning at him, the rear admiral then shouted, “What the hell are you doing here? Haven't I already told you that you’re free to go!” with anger lacing her voice,
The man chuckled softly even as some of the braver marines got closer, aiming their guns at the man's face. “What? Can’t a man give someone a gift for being quite the understanding marine like you, Gion?” The man asked as he reached inside his sleeves, arms blurring as a shot rang out, before pulling out a shell of all things.
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The marine that shot him looked at his gun in confusion, fiddling with it while the man tossed the shell at the woman, “Here, catch!” he shouted, tossing it to Gion who caught it easily. “You might want to avoid having that aimed at a face, it can get quite toasty on the other end,” The man quickly added as the woman slowly aimed it away from herself and called for one of her men to grab the thing.
After giving the strange item to an equally confused ensign, the woman reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Very well, now go before my patience runs dry,” The woman muttered, a bit red faced as she added, “As much as I can tolerate your utter lack of respect to authority, I can not tolerate you being near a dangerous criminal,”
Robin wanted to fire back a reply, but Genji’s calming look had her holding back. The man then got off his perch, setting foot on the deck as he spread his arms wide, calling for all of their attention to him. “That’s the thing Miss Rear Admiral,” He started casually as he gestured to himself, “I admire you for letting me go for being innocent, but you see there’s also a girl on this ship that’s quite innocent as well, and it would be amiss of me to not see her go while I’m here as free as a bird,”
Gion frowned, the easy look on her face replaced with anger. Gesturing at her, the marine would then shout back, “Her? Innocent? I didn’t take you for a joker.” The woman would then level her sword at him, her face trained and devoid of emotion as she gave him another warning, “But what you are implying is no laughing matter, Genji. You’re an innocent lad and you have a whole life ahead of you. I’ll let this matter of your trespass upon my ship go, I’ll even forget this incident entirely so long as you walk away now.”
There was silence between them with only the sound of their ship's hull creaking under the rough seas heard over the din. Genji would simply hold his hands up as he replied, “No can do Miss Rear Admiral,” Resting his hands upon the golden pommel of his sword, “It’s injustice like this that really gets under my skin, the type where they force you to walk away because it’s not my business or whatever bullcrap it is.”
Robin froze at his words, feeling dread creep up her veins. Looking around the ocean behind him, she found no ships nor was there anyone else with him. He was alone… against a ship full of marines and its accompanying escorts. This, this was practically suicide in her eyes! Shaking her head, she called out to him, “No, Please don’t do this!”
“Damn it all, listen to the woman you intend to rescue!” Gion growled out, tightening her grip on her sword, “Even she knows that what you’re doing is foolhardy at best!”
Once more, Genji would ignore it as he casually fired back. “Eh, some people just have to be forcefully saved for them to see reason.” Now it was Robin’s turn to feel angry. The sheer gall of the man, did he even know fear? Gesturing at himself, he then added, “And little old me? Innocent? Now ain’t that a funny word given how the world government treats those unlucky enough to be related to criminals.”
Frowning at his words, Robin whispered, “You can’t mean…” Looking back at the man, Marvielle, his golden mane of hair, his casual treatment of danger. He couldn’t be the son of the infamous pirate, could he?
“Genji, don’t let me do this. You could be someone, a great artist, a marine even, but to waste your life for this?” Gion shouted at him as more and more marines got up to the deck, bringing with them some light cannons to further emphasize their point.
But even if he was, the woman’s word rang true. He was putting his life in needless danger just for her. “Please don't do this!” She tried to reason with him. Yes, she wanted to see Saul again, but to have the life of one of the few who actually helped her after Saul to stain her hands, she simply couldn’t.
“Calling it such may be a bit hard. I’m merely following the justice I hold,” Genji replied with that same kind of infuriating smile that he’d held on that ship she met him on. “Speaking of, before I take Robin there, what kind of justice would it be to let me go if that was the case?”
The woman sighed as the tension in the air became palpable, “One that is moral and true.” Looking at him, she then warned him coldly one last time, “I will only warn you once more, get off my ship or I will be forced to cut you down.”
“And I make my counter offer, lay down your arms, let her go and I will not sink this ship,” The madman, for that was the only thing he could have been, replied as he crouched low, his hands firmly gripping his sword, prepared to draw his blade at a moments notice, “And funny, cause that’s what I believe as well; so you see where this is going. I’m not going to leave this ship until this injustice upon the woman you have in locks and chains is fixed!” He declared, stilling the air around them. Robin wanted to cry, to shout at the fool before her, but he was truly intent on his ways.
The woman’s lips quirked upwards as she shook her head, “I admire your spirit, but I feel that you’re misguided. Don’t worry, I will have mercy. You won’t have to fear dying before you’re given a proper sentence.” Calling out to her men, she then commanded, “Men! Ready arms,”
Robin wanted to look away, to tear her gaze from the oncoming blood bath, but she couldn’t with his very presence demanding their attentions. Smilingly radiantly at them all, he replied, “You sure about that? Cause you might also want to look up behind me.”
Gion would scoff as she spat back, “Do you really take me for a fool to believe such feints-!” before pausing as a wave of alarm spread from her men, their wide eyed look of terror was clear for all to see as the cloudy sky started to part and the moon’s light bathed them while the shadow of a ship stretched across the deck.
Pointing up at the sky, they shouted, “R-Rear Admiral! Enemy ship!” Turning her gaze to the sky, she found herself awestruck as a flying ship hung there in the air, suspended upon a great balloon. Even from here, she could see the fearsome broadside of the ship trained at them, the shape of bunny ear nutcracker soldiers(?) poking out from the deck.
“You son of a bitch-!” Gion shouted as she dashed forward while her men scrambled for cover before her voice was drowned out by the clear and loud voice of another woman shouting through the cloudless night!
“Fire!”
“Iaijutsu - Great Breakthrough!”
It was over in a flash. One moment she saw Genji draw his sword and the next thing she knew, the world would melt into a cacophony of explosions and the sound of wood breaking under an intense gust of wind. Robin shouted in alarm as hurricane force winds buffeted her, lifting her up in the air while anything not nailed down was launched off into the sea.
With only the chains holding her still as grown men were thrown overboard, their cries filling the air, but that too would soon be drowned out as she felt the very ship heave; the floor meeting her as she landed hard on the deck. Groaning, she thought it was the cannon shots hitting the powder store until her eyes saw the trail of destruction rent upon the deck of the ship.
Following the caved-in path, she found the rear admiral half buried amidst a great pile of wreckage created by plowing through the deck. She laid there groaning, bruised, and battered, but she did not bear any great wounds upon her body. Looking back to Genji, she found the man standing there, his sword pulled out yet still in its sheath.
Her mouth hung open, awe at the carnage he had wrought upon the ship with a mere swing. With the craters made by the gun fire, the ship was in ruins. Fires raged across the deck as the tattered sails started to burn. The tall mast creaked as sections of it splintered, only held up by the already fraying rigging.
“Just… who are you?” She whispered as hope once more blossomed inside her chest. The more she got to see him, the more questions filled her head. She hated how much she was in the dark yet, like a good mystery, he reeled her in, enticing her to want to know more.
“I’m Genji, the son of Shiki; nice to meet you,” The man replied easily as he walked up to her chains, jabbing at the thick links and breaking them as if they were made of glass. Robin blinked as she pulled the now loosened chains and was about to speak up when the sound of rubble shifting caught her attention.
Turning, she’d find the Rear Admiral Gion crawling out of the crater she made. “Y-you’ve yet to defeat all of my men,” The woman groaned out before crying in pain as she held her stomach. True to her words, more marines stormed up to the deck but Genji remained unphased.
Looking back at the flying ship which was now turning around, now turning to its other side as it weathered through the hail of gunfire sent its way. Like the force that kept it afloat, however, those very same shots would be turned away as the air glittered with great gusts of freezing wind, felt all the way out to where she sat.
Some shots, however, would pass through; with one stray cannon ball hitting the balloon dead on. Still, the balloon remained intact, the ball merely bouncing off it like it were made of rubber. “I’d suggest you conserve your energy, cause I’m not sure your ships will be staying afloat for much longer”
BOOM!
Grinning at the crew, he told them, “I suggest you start plugging up the holes down below.” Robin winced, freezing up as the floor beneath her heaved once more. A great plume of water exploded out from the side of the ship before the sound of water rushing in came from beneath the deck.
BOOM! BOOM!
Three more would follow as great plumes of smoke rose from ships at the aft and fore. There was a moment of indecision before Gion forced out a command through gritted teeth, “To the pumps! Save the ship and the men!”
Robin couldn’t help but admire how well the admiral carried herself despite the pain. Glaring at them as she was attended by her crew, the woman was all but powerless as Genji helped her up. “Are you hurt?” He asked as held her, her cheeks heating up at how close he had gotten.
“I-I’m fine,” She whispered before wincing as she felt the red angry mark upon her skin where the chains had dug into her. “Maybe just a bit,” She breathed out as stood up shakily, her strength returning to her as the seastone wrapped around her was loosened.
The men at the deck stayed clear of them, held back by the need to help their fellow men and the need to pump water out. Robin was now free and it was all thanks to him. Pulling out a Den Den Mushi from his sleeve, the angry looking snail glaring at all as Genji called out, “Hey Sugar, get your ass over here, we still have a prisoner to help.”
“Fuck you, you bastard! You try commanding a ship full of bunnies against three Marine Battleships!” The feminine tone of the Den Den Mushi roared back, making Genji chuckle.
“I love you too,” He replied before he silenced the phone, stopping it just as it was about to roar back at him. The great floating ship would turn, heading straight at them as the shots petered out until there was just the sound of burning the cries of sailors as they desperately tried to save their listing ships. The battle was won and the man only had to attack once.
As the shadow of the ship loomed over them and ropes were thrown over from above with toy soldiers rappelling down, Gion would call upon them one more time, “Y-you're throwing away your life just to save her?” She asked as the medic attending to her scolded her for moving too much while they bandaged her up.
Turning to her, Genji replied without missing a beat, “Yes, cause it’s the right thing to do and I’d do it even if I have to face an Admiral to free her.” Robin felt her heart skip a bit as she stared up at the man who saved her. Reaching up to her chest as she felt butterflies in her stomach, she wondered; was this what Saul meant all those years ago?
Slumping to the deck and giving in to the demand of her medic, Gion spat back at them, her voice weary and weakened, “Y-you’ll regret this.”
Genji just laughed as he grabbed on to the offered rope by one of the toy soldiers. “I might, but it’s worth it,” He replied before he held out his hands to her.
Reaching out, she paused, hesitating as she gave one question that had been bothering her all this time, “... Why?”
Genji sighed as he gave her a wry grin, “Like I said, do I really need a reason to help you? Especially when you have done nothing wrong?” He asked as their eyes locked, “You’re just a girl stuck in an unfortunate situation, forced to do everything just to stay alive.”
Gesturing around them, he added, “All of this wouldn’t have happened if somebody just lent you a helping hand and never let go, so here I am.” Extending his arm again back to her, he then asked, “So, are you really going to leave me hanging here, or what?”
Fear and doubt still clung to her mind, for what kind of person would help a stranger like her? Yet… could she really make it if she wasn’t willing to reach out to him? After all, what are friends before being met but strangers? Nodding, she reached out and grabbed hold, refusing to let go as he pulled her out of the ship. Maybe… just maybe things could be different.