One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Nest Egg ❯ The Truth of the Matter ( Chapter 8 )

     Rob in ran as fast as she could after her daughter. Her shock at seeing her daughter use powers Robin herself possessed had distracted her, making her lose precious seconds and giving Kohato time to get ahead. She ran as fast as she could manage. Fortunately, her sudden tumble hadn’t injured her legs in any way. She had worried when she first gotten she’d have to stop again because of a sprained ankle or some such thing.

     As she neared town, Robin saw Luffy and the others were right where she had left them. They were simply talking to each other but turned when they saw Robin, coming at them like a bat out of hell. Robin stopped in front of them. Not out of any desire for their help, more because she was winded and, if she hadn’t seen Kohato yet, then she had already gotten to town and to the Navy ship. That meant that it would be risky to continue on the direct route.

     “Robin, what’s wrong?” Nami asked.

     “Is someone threatening you?!” Sanji suddenly yelled, “If they are leave them to me!”

     “No. It’s not that.” Robin replied, “Did you see a girl run past here?”

     “A girl?” Zoro asked, “Yeah, I think so. A kid?”

     Robin nodded.

     “We saw her run by.” Usopp explained, “She seemed panicked about something but we had no idea what.”

     “Damn…̶ 1; Robin cursed under her breath.

     “What’s wrong, Robin?” Chopper asked, “Do you know that girl?”

     “Yes.” Robin said, “And as we speak, she could be doing something irrevocably stupid!”

     “What?” Nami said.

     “Nothing. Never mind.” Robin said as she began to enter the town. But a sudden voice stopped her.

     “She’s yours, isn’t she?”

     Robin turned around, Luffy was looking right at Robin. His eyes seemed to indicate he knew what he was saying was true.

     “Captain…” Robin uttered. The others looked at Luffy confused.

     “She looks exactly like you, only small. At first I thought you shrunk but then you showed up and now I know. She’s your daughter.”

     The other crew members’ heads all tuned to Robin. Their eyes were as wide open as their mouths.

     “Y-y-y-you have a…” Usopp stammered.

     “Yes.” Robin stated matter-of-factly, “That little girl is my child. Though she does not know it.” Robin said that last bit in such tone of voice as to make clear she didn’t want the girl to know it.

     “So that’s why you left so suddenly.” Nami said in realization.

     “Yes. But a problem has come up.” She was quiet for a moment, then looked at the crew, “If you don’t mind my asking, I may need help.”

     “Of course!” Luffy cried out.

     “What happened?” Chopper inquired, “Did it have to do with why that girl was running away?”

     Robin nodded, “She believes I’m responsible for the recent injury of her adopted mother. She’s gone to inform the Navy of my presence. The problem is that it’s not me they want.”

     “Then who do they want?” Zoro was about to ask, but a gasp from Nami stopped him.

     “That’s right, Miss Navigator.” Robin said, guessing Nami’s thoughts, “It’s Kohato, my child, they want. That ship is commanded by an Akumanominologist, a scientist who studies the Fruits of the Devil.”

     “Why?” Usopp asked.

     “I read an article, just before Robin left.” Nami explained, “It talked about people with Devil Fruit powers potentially passing on those abilities to their children.”

     All eyes were now on Nami.

     “However, the article said that, even if it was possible, the chances of it were slim. Akumanominologists deduced that the trait is recessive. Meaning that it rarely appears.”

     “It has, however, appeared in my daughter.” Robin told them, “I saw it for myself. She was scared of me and used the powers of the Hana-Hana Fruit to get away from me.”

     The crew’s mouth continued to hang open at this news.

     “There’s more.” Robin said, “Though she possesses these powers, because she never actually ate a fruit, she lacks the weakness shared by those who have.”

     “You mean she can swim?!” Zoro asked, catching Robin’s implication.

     “Very well. I saw it myself yesterday.”

     “I can see why someone like that would be valuable.” Usopp mused.

     “So, then.” Sanji began, “What can we do for our dear little Robin and her innocent daughter?”

     Adoyoshi Kohato ran as fast as she possibly could to the Navy ship. After all that had happened, Kohato had come to a conclusion. The Marines were after Nojiko and they had hurt her Mama because they thought she was hiding her. Kohato had to go to the Navy guy in charge and tell him what was going on. It was too late to take it back, but maybe they’d at least apologize. Kohato turned around to look behind her, Nojiko wasn’t in sight. Apparently something had granted her wish to make the woman fall, because she had thought she’d heard a thud as she was running.

     She ran past a group of people as she headed into down. She recognized one of them as the person Nojiko had been speaking to a while ago. Friends of hers, Kohato supposed. Now she was scared. She mustered her courage though, and ran through the group. Fortunately, they ignored her as they passed. Why wouldn’t they? They didn’t know who this child was and had no reason to interfere. The only one who’d even really seen Kohato was Luffy, and he was busy listening to a joke Usopp was telling. Kohato would be long gone before Robin finally made her way to the others.

     Kohato’s eyes darted to both sides of the street, looking for a Marine. When she spotted one she ran up to him and tugged at his pant leg until he looked down and noticed her.

     “You gotta…” Kohato said, breathing heavily, “You gotta help me!”

     The Marine kneeled down and asked what was wrong.

     “There’s a bad lady! I think you’re looking for her! She can make arms appear outta stuff! I think my Mama got in trouble with you ‘cause’a’ her! You gotta help!”

     To anybody else, this might sound like some little kid’s fantasy. But the Marines on this island, as per Owlshiki’s orders, had been informed to be on the lookout for Nico Robin. He suspected that she might appear here. The Marine turned around and let the exhausted Kohato onto his back. He then picked up his pace to the Navy ship at the docks, requesting permission to speak to the man in charge. When it was granted, the Marine carried the little girl piggy-back into Owlshiki’s office and set her down.

     Owlshiki, the Akumanominologist, was a short pudgy man. He had rather large eyes that made his already tiny nose look smaller. Kohato thought that his nose even kind of resembled some bird’s beak. But she didn’t dwell on it. The man looked very pleased to have Kohato here.

     “Hoo hoo hoo…” the man laughed, “What have we here, sailor?”

     “Sir,” the Marine replied, “I believe this child may have sighted Nico Robin.”

     “Nico Robin?” Kohato asked.

     “Mmm…” Owlshiki said, thinking to himself. He had been worried that Nico Robin would appear. It came as no surprise that she had a way of knowing her child might be in danger. He looked at the girl in front of him. He pulled a piece of paper out of a drawer and held it up to Kohato.

     “Does this look a bit like the person you saw?”

     The paper was Nico Robin’s wanted poster. The Marine in the room was actually surprised to see just how greatly the little girl next to him resembled the child pictured on the poster. If it weren’t that he knew the picture was nearly twenty years old, he’d swear this girl was Nico Robin. The only significant different was the look in the girls’ eyes. The child in the poster had an impertinent, angry look while Kohato’s eyes had a round innocence to them.

     “Ummm…” Kohato murmured , studying the picture, “Kind of…”

     “This is an old picture, dear,” Owlshiki explained, “This girl would be an adult now.”

     After a few more moments, Kohato nodded her head.

     “Then that’s her! It looks just like her, except her hair was yellow!”

     “Yellow?” Owlshiki asked, then went, “Oh.” It took a moment to realize the child meant blonde.

     “Thank you for coming, dear.” Owlshiki said, “What is your name?”

     “A-Adoyoshi Kohato.” she answered.

     “Adoyoshi… oh, my.” Owlshiki suddenly looked distressed, “Your mother got in some trouble with us, didn’t she?”

     “Yes…” Kohato said, looking at the man.

     “We’ll make this up to her, and you.” Owlshiki promised, a pleasant tone to his voice. “I’ll personally pay for any treatment she needs and issue an apology on behalf of the Navy men on this boat.”

     “Th-thank you sir.” Kohato said.

     “In the meantime, I’d like you to remain here.”

     “Huh? Why?” Kohato asked. It was the Marine that answered.

     “That woman you saw, Nico Robin, is very dangerous.”

     “Oh yeah! She’s got Devil Fruit powers!” Kohato exclaimed.

     “Yes. And thanks to you, we now know she’s here. It might be good for your safety to stay here. We’ll fetch your mama and papa as well, so they’ll be okay too.”

     “You promise?” she asked.

     “I promise.” The Marine said with a smile.

     “I’ll see to the arrangements, sailor.” Owlshiki said, “You are dismissed.”

     The Marine saluted and left the office. Kohato suddenly got a very bad feeling when the man left, as if something had changed but she couldn’t guess what. When she looked at Owlshiki, she saw him smiling. But something was wrong with it.

     “Um… Mr. Owlshiki, sir.” Kohato asked, tentatively, “Are you okay?”

     “Oh yes, my dear. Hoo hoo hoo, I feel wonderful.”

     And why shouldn’t he? This was the culmination of years of work. He had long theorized that Devil Fruit powers could be passed on to children. But he had never before had an opportunity to actually have a child of the Devil Fruit with him. As of today, that was different. He called out to one of his scientists, who entered the room through a hidden door behind Owlshiki’s chair.

     “Take her.”

     Before Kohato could react the man walked up to her and put a cloth over Kohato’s face. The chloroform it had been soaked in knocked Kohato out instantly. The man carried her out.

     “Put her in the testing room. I want to start immediately.” he instructed as he got up and followed.