Younger brother, younger sister, older sister / Taking the initiative

As if he understood Nami's confusion, Arthur said softly, "Nico Robin was reportedly wanted for destroying six Marine warships when she was eight, and people called her the Devil Child. But that's all a lie."

"How do you know?" Nami couldn't help asking. She knew because she had heard Robin's story, but how did Arthur know?

After all, Arthur looked about her age, yet he knew so much about Robin's childhood.

"Idiot." Arthur poked Nami in the forehead and rolled his eyes. "Does she look like someone with great strength? If she could destroy six Marine warships at eight, could someone like that be captured by me now? Besides, you didn't really think I'd left you alone to keep watch over her all these days, did you?"

"I see." Nami held her chin and nodded thoughtfully, becoming even more convinced that Robin had told the truth.

Before, because emotions couldn't lie, Nami had remained half convinced and half doubtful. Now, after Arthur confirmed it, a thought came to her.

Nami lowered her head, looked at Arthur, and said seriously, "Arthur, let's invite her to join us, shall we?"

Nami had given the suggestion a great deal of thought. She had already had the idea before coming to wake Arthur, but she hadn't dared to decide because she still couldn't make up her mind and didn't know whether Robin had made up the story to deceive her.

Now, since she trusted Arthur completely, she naturally believed Robin's story too.

Nami genuinely wanted this "senior," who had gone through the same experiences as her but hadn't shared those hardships with her, to become her companion.

"Hey, hey, don't be so impulsive. Do you know she's a wanted criminal, with a bounty of 79 million Beli?" Arthur waved a hand in front of Nami's eyes and reminded her, "If the Marines find out we're harboring her, we'll very likely become wanted ourselves. We'll go straight from bounty hunters to pirates, and we won't be able to make money by catching pirates anymore. Are you sure?"

"Well..."

Hearing that, Nami, whose mind had been made up, couldn't help hesitating.

The scales in her heart began to tip. Would they fall toward Beli, or toward a "friend" such as she had rarely found in her life?

"All right, you don't have to think so much." Seeing Nami's conflicted expression, Arthur offered an idea. "Let's release her first, spend some time together and watch her for a while. We can see whether she's a liar and whether she wants to become our companion, then decide."

"Mm-hmm..."

Nami nodded quickly. Sure enough, she couldn't trust someone so easily, especially when she was very likely to lose an easy way of making money for that person's sake. As a money-grubber, her resolve wavered at once.

Chapter 30: Younger brother, younger sister, older sister

"Then... you can stay for now."

That morning, Arthur sat in a beach chair with his legs elegantly crossed. Looking at Robin, whom Nami was untying across from him, he said, "From now on, you're an apprentice crew member on our ship, a companion for the time being."

"An apprentice crew member, a companion for the time being?" Robin was slightly taken aback. Then she lowered her gaze to Nami, who was winking at her as she untied her, and a warmth rose in her heart.

Robin hadn't felt that way since she escaped Ohara at eight. Even if she had, those feelings had been false, the product of deception when she was still inexperienced in the ways of the world.

And now, although she was their prisoner and they could clearly have turned her over to the Marines for a huge bounty, they had released her instead. Moreover, according to Arthur, releasing her had been Nami's decision.

They also seemed to want to accept her. Without a doubt, Nami's feelings were genuine.

That was why Robin was so moved.

"From now on, we're companions, Robin." Having untied Robin, Nami took both her hands and smiled sincerely.

"Thank you, Nami..."

"It's nothing. I'm happy to be your companion, Robin." Nami shook her head, without a trace of falsehood in her words. Although she still couldn't trust Robin completely, she truly wanted to accept this senior who had a fate similar to hers.

"Ah... me too." Robin smiled gently. Her gaze firm, she said nothing more.

Arthur, standing behind Nami, naturally saw it all.

Holding his chin, Arthur looked thoughtfully at Robin.

Without a doubt, Nami's actions had moved Robin. At least in Robin's heart, her affection for Nami was surely greater than for anyone else.

Perhaps this was the friendship of mutual sympathy that arose when two women with the same fate connected with each other.

Even so, knowing Robin's character, Arthur naturally couldn't believe that she had really joined him so readily.

Before the two had shared their troubles, Robin might have pretended to join him. But now that Nami had won her affection, Robin knew full well that she was a major government target. Especially since she didn't know Arthur's true strength, staying on the ship would only bring endless trouble to Nami and Arthur.

If Robin truly considered Nami a friend, she would never let herself drag Nami down.

That left her with only two choices.

One was to agree for now, then find an opportunity to slip away quietly once they reached Alabasta.

The other was that her feelings for Nami were so deep that she couldn't help staying on the ship, only to be found by the Marines or government agents and choose to take the same path as in the original story.

Seeing how readily Robin had agreed, Arthur guessed she might choose the former.

At the thought, Arthur sighed inwardly.

How similar Robin now was to Nami back then. Until the demons in her heart were completely rooted out, she couldn't fully become part of their group.

But...

Heaven's will has made you my companion. Then, as I have decided, I will be your safe harbor and shelter you from the wind and rain.

Arthur's gaze grew profound. He had already thought of a solution.

There was no complicated plan. He would simply give Robin a sense of security, just as Nami had felt when she saw his godlike figure looking down on everything.

Robin was now just a lonely, helpless woman who desperately lacked a sense of security.

Robin was now just a lonely, helpless woman who desperately lacked a sense of security.

With Robin's addition, there was another person aboard the small-cabin sailing ship, and it began to feel livelier.

The atmosphere and surroundings changed a great deal too.

Naturally, Arthur was the first to suffer. With another woman aboard, he could no longer share a room with Nami, so he moved back to the deck to sleep as before, leaving the cabin room to Nami and Robin.

Having finally found a close friend, Nami became livelier than ever, able to talk freely with Robin about matters between women.

Out on the deck, Arthur could faintly hear their conversations with his exceptional hearing, even without using Observation Haki.

Compared with the lively Nami, Robin was more like a close older sister, always listening gently at her side. When she heard something funny or pleasing, she would smile, and the two gave off contrasting auras.

As time passed, Nami and Robin grew closer, becoming like sisters.

As a bystander, Arthur watched them change with his own eyes.

Compared with Nami, Arthur wasn't particularly close to Robin, acting in his capacity as captain.

Even so, Arthur could sense Robin's gentleness and consideration in her everyday actions.

Nami usually woke him, but the Grand Line's strange weather was always unpredictable at night or in the early morning, sometimes bringing snow and sometimes hail. Or, when the sun was about to rise and Nami was still asleep, Robin, with her keen senses, would take it upon herself to wake Arthur.

When the weather was cold and Robin happened to wake up, she would secretly use her ability to check outside. If she found that Arthur's blanket had fallen off, she would use her ability to cover him again.

If the small-cabin sailing ship were a home, Arthur would be the younger brother and also the head of the family, Nami the younger sister, and Robin the older sister.

An imposing younger brother, a lively and adorable younger sister, and a mature and composed older sister.

In the blink of an eye, twenty days had passed since Robin was captured and then went from prisoner to temporary companion.

After sailing without stopping for more than half a month, their food gradually dwindling, the small-cabin sailing ship, which was as slow as a snail compared with a large sailing ship, finally reached the waters around Lodestar Island.

As they drew closer, the small-cabin sailing ship encountered other vessels at sea: merchant ships, pirate ships, and even those of Baroque Works, a bounty hunter organization.

But because their ship was so small and flew no pirate flag, it was plainly a boat without a wealthy owner, so no one came looking for trouble.

"Ah... we're finally here. This ship is really slow."

On deck, Nami lay over the railing and spoke listlessly.

"Oh, it can't be helped. The Grand Line is just too big, after all," Robin said with a soft laugh beside her.

Arthur walked over to Nami, put a hand on her head, and tousled her hair. "If you can't stand it, we can trade it for something bigger to travel in on this island."

"Hehe... I was just kidding." Nami stuck out her tongue and smiled slyly.

This ship held the memory of how she had met Arthur, as well as her friendship with Robin. Nami had grown attached to it, and she didn't want to replace it before they had a proper ship.

Chapter 31: Taking the initiative

The Alabasta Kingdom was a vast kingdom on Lodestar Island in the Grand Line, ruled by the Nefertari family, one of the twenty kings who had joined together to establish the World Government 800 years ago.

Alabasta's main cities were Yuba, Rainbase, Nanohana, Erumalu, Katorea, and the capital, Alubarna.

Baroque Works' headquarters were in Rainbase.

Nanohana was Alabasta's port city.

A small-cabin sailing ship approached slowly and came to a stop at a dock.

As soon as the three of them stepped ashore, a wave of heat struck them. They had noticed the air growing hot and dry when they entered the waters near Lodestar Island, but they hadn't expected to have underestimated the country's heat.

Alabasta was also known as the Desert Kingdom. As the name suggested, desert covered the largest part of Lodestar Island.

"First, let's buy some water and food in the city, and a few pieces of clothing to protect us from the sun while we're at it." Arthur looked up at the cloudless sky. Golden sunlight shone down, and he felt that the sun in this country seemed lower than elsewhere.

"Robin knows this place better, so take Nami with you." Arthur glanced at the silent Robin, then said thoughtfully to Nami, "Nami, you're not familiar with this place, so remember to stay close to Robin. Don't get lost."

"Mm-hmm... don't worry. Robin will take good care of me."

Nami seemed to notice nothing. Holding Robin's hand, she spoke with a smile.

"Good. Once you've bought the supplies, come straight back and stay on the ship. I'm going to explore the island, and I'll be back around dusk or tonight. Robin, while I'm gone, remember to look after Nami. Don't let anyone bully her." Arthur nodded in satisfaction and addressed Robin again.

After spending these days together, Robin and Nami had become just like sisters. Arthur believed that, in his absence, Robin would certainly not abandon Nami and leave on her own.

"I understand." Sure enough, Robin smiled gently at Arthur's words and agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Then I'll leave her to you..."

With that, he had completely shut down any thought Robin might have had of leaving.

At least today, she couldn't run away.

One day was enough.

Arthur's expression grew slightly solemn. Turning his back on Nami and Robin, he walked away, broke into a run after a few steps, and shot off in one direction like an arrow released from a bow.

In an instant, he vanished from their sight.

Watching the direction Arthur had taken, Robin's expression changed slightly, as though she had thought of something.

"What's wrong, Robin?" Nami noticed the change in Robin and tightened her grip on her hand as she asked.

"Nothing... let's go buy the supplies." Robin came back to herself and quickly shook her head.

"Mm-hmm. You know this country best, so take me there."

"..."

After one last look in the direction Arthur had gone, Robin took Nami by the hand and headed into Nanohana.

But she couldn't help growing worried.

If she wasn't mistaken, the captain was running toward Dream City Rainbase.

If she wasn't mistaken, the captain was running toward Dream City Rainbase.

Did he intend to travel from Nanohana to Rainbase and back in a single day?

And what was he going to Rainbase for?

Whoosh—

A rush of powerful wind roared, kicking up a vast cloud of dust over the desert.

Arthur was moving incredibly fast. From afar, a white figure could be seen racing across the scorching desert like an arrow through the air, tearing through the air ahead and trailing a yellow wave of sand.

The speeding figure was headed for Dream City Rainbase, crossing the distance from Nanohana at a speed visible to the naked eye.

To do so, Arthur even used Mana Burst to travel.

His D-rank agility and A-rank Mana Burst made him move as fast as an afterimage.

After traveling tirelessly for half an hour, Arthur could already see the outline of a bustling city.

A few minutes later, Arthur arrived in Rainbase, drenched in sweat.