The next morning at dawn, Robin let out a soft murmur and opened her eyes, gazing somewhat blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling. In her memories, she had awakened from nightmares every night. How long had it been since she had slept so comfortably? Five years? Or ten?
"Am I still alive?"
Touching the spot on her chest where her heart beat strongly, Robin propped herself up. The last thing she remembered was a longsword piercing that very spot. The sound of waves splashing against the hull reached her ears, instantly waking her up. She threw off the blanket, ran barefoot down from the captain's quarters loft, and reached the deck in a panic.
Duke was sitting cross-legged on the deck, spreading out his Observation Haki to scan the underwater world and train his Haki. Hearing the pattering footsteps nearby, he looked up just in time to see the barefoot, panting Robin stop in front of him.
Before Duke could greet her, Robin asked first, "What happened last night? I remember that sword piercing my heart. Why am I not dead?"
Duke stood up, brushed off his pants, and pointed to Flower Continent leaning nearby. "It was Flower Continent's ability. I fed it a Devil Fruit. A very practical ability, isn't it?"
Seeing Robin's puzzled expression, Duke drew Flower Continent and stabbed it into the deck. The blade passed straight through the wooden floor. Robin keenly noticed a faint, almost imperceptible glow where the blade pierced the deck.
"Paramecia—the Door-Door Fruit! Anything Flower Continent touches can become a door and be opened, allowing unrestricted passage anywhere. Last night's stab was the same. It looked like your heart had been pierced, but in reality, I merely used Flower Continent's ability to open a door in your body. A harmless little joke. You