One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Nest Egg ❯ Secrets ( Chapter 4 )

     &# 8220;So,” Robin began, “Can I assume that government ship in the harbor is the reason I was called here?”

     Sitting at the dinner table, Robin looked at the two people before her. These two were the ones who had sent the Poses. Making use of a system Robin had put in place for the most dire of emergencies.

     “That’s right.” said the man, Adoyoshi Tosa, “It’s being led by a scientist.”

     “His name is Owlshiki.” said the woman, Adoyoshi Kasa, “He’s an Akumanominologist.”

     A scientist who studied the Fruits of the Devil. That was definitely good reason to summon her here. Any scientist would want to know what was hidden here.

     “Does he know?”

     “We don’t think so.” Tosa said, “We think it is simply coincidence. They arrived saying their ship needed repairs.”

     “Most of what they’ve done so far supports that.” Kasa said, “They’ve bought supplies for their food stores and equipment for repairs. However…”

     “However ?” Robin asked, an eyebrow raised.

     “When we’ve gone into town, it seems as though the navy men are watching us. Almost like they’re searching for something.”

     Robin closed her eyes and sighed.

     “Then we can only assume they know. Have you done anything to find out their motives since they arrived?”

     “No.” Tosa answered, “There were rumors they were in this area. When I saw their ship I realized who they were and sent for you immediately. Aside from that, though, we’ve done nothing unusual.”

     “We thought it best to avoid catching their attention.” Kasa explained.

     “That is probably for the best.” Robin replied. There was a lull in the conversation. Nothing else to do, Robin looked around the house a bit. She saw, along with the usual amenities of simple living, several toys scattered around the floor. She saw an open door that led into a bedroom decorated in pink.

     “Where is she?” Robin asked, clearly meaning the girl who occupied that room.

     “In town.” Kasa said. “Ever since Tosa sent away Upsy she’s gone to the harbor every day to watch for him.”

     “Upsy?” Robin asked with a smile.

     “The Sakasdio bird we sent to you with the poses.” Tosa said with a smile, “She named him.”

     Robin had to chuckle. It sounded just like the kind of name a child would give a bird who was often seen upside down.

     “Do you think its safe for her to be in town alone right now?”

     “She goes there a lot.” Tosa said, “Again, we can’t afford to be doing anything out of the ordinary. It’s a risk, but keeping her here might put everything in even greater risk.”

     Robin nodded. A gamble, but a necessary one.

     Business more or less taken care of, the conversation went into casual small talk. Recent events in the others’ lives.

     On the government ship docked in the harbor, a man looked over reports. His name was Owlshiki. He was an Akumanominologist. The Fruits of the Devil fascinated him. So to were the affects they had on others besides the actual eaters of the fruits. That was why he was at this island. He had gotten some information and, if his deduction was correct, what he would find here would make his career.

     Soon after the civil war in Alabasta, many members of the Baroque Works’ organization, ranked as Billions, were captured and interrogated. In an attempt to save his neck tried giving up what he thought was valuable information. He had claimed that a member of the group, a high ranking officer known as Miss Allsunday, was in fact the legendary criminal Nico Robin. Thanks to Captain Smoker, though, the Navy already knew that. He had, however, said something that had meant little to the Navy, but caught Owlshiki’s attention.

     Apprently, Nico Robin would, on rare occasion, take a lover from among the Billions. The man interrogated had been one of those lucky few. He had tried to give as accurate a description as possible. Right down to a particular physical detail that Owlshiki couldn’t ignore. That Baroque Works agent, eventually executed by the government, had yielded the discovery of a lifetime. If what he said was true, then Owlshiki had an incredible chance to test one of his long standing theories.

     The agent had reported small purple lines along Nico Robin’s lower body. They were very faint, but visible. By their description, there was only one thing Owlshiki thought it could be. Upon hearing this, he had begun focusing on Nico Robin’s movements over the past years. He learned that she had appeared in this village and apparently remained here for almost a year. Which made this the most likely location to find what he was after. If nothing else, this was the place to begin the search.

     Going by the agents description, Owlshiki believed the lines on Nico Robin’s body were, in fact, stretch marks. However, a woman with her figure isn’t likely to have ever had to drop a lot of weight. Which means there was only one explanation for those marks on Nico Robin’s otherwise fine figure.

     Sometime in the past, Nico Robin had given birth, and Owlshiki thought that child was somewhere on this island.

     On a cliff on west of the island’s town, a seven year old girl jumped for glee on the grass. Her beloved bird, Upsy the Sakasido, had returned today. She was worried sick when he had disappeared several days ago. But now he was back.

     The little girl immediately ran for home, to report the good news to her Mama and Papa. Her raven-black hair blew in the breeze as she ran. Her blue eyes glanced around at the houses, counting how many she had to pass before she got home.

     The girl’s given name was Kohato, which she had been told meant “Little Dove” in another language. Her family name, as far as she knew, was Adoyoshi. However, it wasn’t her birth name. When she was born, she had been given a different name.

     The name, given to the girl by her mother on the day of her birth, was Nico Kohato.