One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Nest Egg ❯ Farewell ( Chapter 13 )

      In a little girl’s feverish mind, memories were stirring...

     At two years old, Kohato had begun to get into everything she could get her hands on. Always climbing up tables and furniture for closer looks at various objects. Always asking her Mama and Papa anything and everything about everything and anything. The house was filled with a chorus of “What’s that?” and “What does that word mean?” and “What does that do?”, not to mention “Get down from there!”, “Kohato! No!”, and “Stay out of that!”

     This phase lasted quite a while, so long that Kohato’s Mama and Papa had begun to simply answer Kohato’s various inquiries without thinking. As soon as they knew what she was asking about, they’d give Kohato her answer and she’d be satisfied. That knee-jerk reaction inevitably caused Kohato’s clearest early memory.

     “Who’s ‘dat?” Kohato asked innocently one day, pointing to a photo on the mantle.

     “That’s your father, dear.” Kohato’s Mama answered.

     “What’s a ‘father’?” she asked.

     Adoyoshi Kasa stumbled a bit, only just realizing what Kohato was asking. The toddler had been pointing to a photograph of Adoyoshi Shuban. Kasa had answered the girl instantly, and had momentarily forgotten the promise she and Tosa had made: To raise little Kohato as their own child. To keep her true origins secret, even from her, for her own safety.

     “What’s ‘father’?” Kohato asked again.

     “Um… well…”

     Kohato remembered her Mama rattling off some answer. But Kasa had been so startled by the initial question that she gave some nonsense reason Kohato didn’t think sounded right and had long since forgotten.

     It would be three years, at age five, when she heard a friend refer to her father, yet soon after call him “papa”, that she would realize that “Father” and “Papa” were supposed to be the same person. It was that moment, at age five, that Adoyoshi Kohato understood she wasn’t her Mama and Papa’s real daughter. That the man in that photo on the mantle, who she had since been told was a cousin who had died, was in fact her real Papa.

     When Kohato, at age seven, first saw the wanted poster for Nico Robin, she wondered if it might be possible she was related to Robin. The picture on the poster so resembled Kohato she thought for a brief second the Marines would arrest her. It wasn’t until the realization that she had powers exactly like Nico Robin’s that she knew, without a doubt. Nico Robin was her mother. Her real Mama.

     Kohato was asleep when she had been rescued and taken off the navy ship. But Chopper’s medical attention was helping. She found herself being woken up by a splashing sound close by. Though she wasn’t aware of it, that was the sound of Nami jumping into the water to save Robin. Kohato opened her eyes, her vision blurry from drowsiness. Her head turned to the side, and gave the girl a view of the events occurring on board the ship. She couldn’t see too clearly, but despite that, she knew her mother was there. Somehow, she knew her mother was there, and about to do something terrible.

     Without thinking, she held out her hand, begging for her mother to stop what she was doing. Wishing with all her might that something, anything, would stop her.

     “Mother… stop… don’t do something… bad… not for me…”

     That was the last thing Kohato could remember of that night. She fell back to sleep, unaware she’d just saved a man’s life.

     Robin stared at the saber in her hands. The blade’s hilt had two tiny hands extending from it, grabbing Robin’s wrists. Wide-eyed in shock, she looked to where Chopper was tending to Kohato. She saw her daughter, awake and holding her hand out. Robin thought the child was speaking, but couldn’t tell from the distance. After a moment, the little girl’s outstretched hand fell to the ground, and the ones in the blade receded and vanished. Robin didn’t know what Kohato was trying to actually say, but the message was clear. Don’t do it.

     Owlshiki, held in place by Robin’s Seis Flor Clutch, breathed a sigh of relief when Robin cast aside the sword. The hands holding him suddenly released, causing Owlshiki to fall flat on his back. He stumbled to his hands and knees. As he managed back on his feet he heard Robin speak.

     “Get off this boat. Now!”

     Owlshiki didn’t argue, considering Robin had seemed to change her mind about killing the scientist, angering her would be a bad idea. He to the gang plank and off of his ship, where the other Straw Hat pirates had bound the marines and scientists who had resisted them. The pirates themselves, were looking at the boat, at Robin. They watched as the woman crossed her arms over her chest, palms of her hands turned upwards. There seemed to be no apparent effect until, after a moment, a large explosion ripped through a part of the boat. Owlshiki realized that Nico Robin had set off the ammunition supplies, blowing them up in order to sink the ship.

     As the navy vessel began sinking below the seas of the harbor, Nico Robin leapt from the side of the boat down to the docks, where her crewmates waited for her. No greetings were exchanged, no questions were asked. The crew simply watched as Nico Robin walked over to where Owlshiki stood.

     “You owe Kohato your life. Never forget that.” she told him.

     With that, she turned and rejoined her crew. The Akumanominologist stared at the woman as she left with her comrades.

     It was late the next morning before Kohato awoke again. Sleep and medicine had helped rid her of her illness so she was feeling good as new when she sat up in bed. Looking around, Kohato recognized the home of the village doctor. It was a room in a house with several beds lined up on two sides. Kohato remembered that he did this whenever he had patients that had to stay overnight. The room was vacant now, however, except for her and one other person.

     “How are you feeling, Kohato?”

     Kohato turned to the bed next to her.

     “Mama!” she cried out happily.

     In the bed next to Kohato’s, Adoyoshi Kasa sat in bed reading a book. Kohato immediately jumped out of bed and wrapped her arms around Kasa’s torso.

     “You must be feeling better!” Kasa laughed, “But be gentle, dear. I don’t heal so quickly.”

     Kohato immediately let go and stood by her Mama’s bedside.

     “Mama, I’m okay but how’re you feeling?”

     “Very sore, but I should be able to leave the doctor’s later today…” Kasa said, some sadness in her voice, “Which reminds me… Kohato… sweetheart, there are some things that I need to explain to you. They might be hard to understand and accept at first bu-”

     “Nico Robin’s my mother.” Kohato said, knowing where this was likely headed. Kasa looked at the little girl in wonder.

     “You know?!” she asked.

     “I look just like her, and I got the same kinda powers she does…”

     “I see. That’s how you did it…”

     “Huh?” Kohato asked.

     “Last night, you apparently saved the life of that navy scientist.”

     “I did… how?” Kohato honestly couldn’t remember much about the last night.

     “You used your powers, and stopped your mother moments before she was about to kill him.”

     Kohato listened in fascination, as Kasa told her the story of the previous night, as related to her by Tosa and Robin after all had finished. She couldn’t believe that Nico Robin had nearly killed someone to save her. Kohato giggled a bit when she heard that the townspeople, after hearing what they navy had done to Kasa and Kohato, were keeping the sailors and scientists the straw hats had subdued under lock and key until a new ship from the navy arrived.

     “We think that will take a couple days. However, we won’t be here when that happens?”

     “We.. We’re leaving?” Kohato asked. Kasa was again surprised by how quickly the girl picked up on things.

     “Yes. You, your papa, and I will be moving to a new island as soon as we can. Papa is getting everything packed up for us right now.”

     “But… but why?!” Kohato asked.

     “Kohato, your mother left you in our care because she feared something exactly like this happening. That someone might try to take advantage of you because of who she was. She wants you kept away from people who would do that. Now, however, your existence has been discovered. We have to get you away from here before anybody in the navy gets the same idea Owlshiki did.”

     “What about my mother… is she coming with us?”

     “No. She isn’t.”

     “But-̶ 1;

     “Kohato, your mother fears that if she stays with you, someone might track her down eventually and find you. She won’t allow that, no matter how badly she wanted to remain with you. And trust me when I tell you she wishes that very much.”

     Seeing the child’s eyes begin to water, Kasa thought of something to cheer her up. She picked up the girl and rested her on her Mama’s lap.

     “Kohato… you know your mother, but do you know who your real father is?”

     “Cousin Shuban…”

     “So you figured out that much. I’m impressed.” the girl smiled a bit, but the sadness was still there, “How would you like to hear about you father?”

     That cheered Kohato a bit. For the next half hour she listened to stories about her birth father, including how he had given his life to save her and her mother. When that half hour had passed, Tosa had come into the office and greeted his wife and daughter with hugs.

     “Kohato, Rob… no, your mother, wanted me to give you this.” he held out a letter for the child. She took it and tore into it, her eyes tearing up once again as she read.

     Kohato,

  &nb sp;  As you read this letter, my crew and I will be on our way to our next destination, wherever that may be. Your mama will have likely explained everything, including that the three of you will be going to a new home soon. I have already made arrangements for your departure, and your Mama and Papa know what to do about getting there.

     I’m writing this to let you know that I wish I could be there with you… for you… but it can not be, and I can only hope you understand why. Long ago I did something very foolish with the powers I have, the ones we have, and got in very serious trouble. I’ve had to do a lot of things I now regret just to survive. But there is one thing that I’ve done that I have never regretted, meeting your father and bringing you into this world.

     You reminded me of him so much when I watched you. You and he could both enjoy your lives in a way I could not and, in fact, still can not understand. The closest I came was when we spoke of history. Your love of it was a surprise and a pleasure. You and I come from a long line of archaeologists, men and women who study history and the objects left from the past. With that in mind, I have a sizable collection of historical books and texts, much of which I’ve left with your Papa to give to you. They have much of the world’s history in them, so I think you’ll enjoy them.

     All I can do besides that is hope you will grow up safe, healthy and, above all, happy.

     Love,

  &n bsp;  Your mother

     By the time she finished the letter, Kohato was wiping the tears away from her face and sniffing loudly due to a runny nose. She knew who her mother was, something she had wondered since she had first realized she was adopted. But they couldn’t be together. Not without Kohato being in danger, something Nico Robin would not allow.

     “Wait…” Kohato said through her tears, she looked at the letter, “As you’re reading this…? She’s leaving right now!”

     Without waiting for an answer from either of her parents, she ran full tilt out of the doctor’s home. Through tear-blurred vision she made her way to the docks, but there were no boats that she didn’t recognize. Only a dinghy she realized Robin had used to first come here. Kohato wracked her mind trying to think of where they could be. She remembered her Mama telling her about the Pose system used to initially contact Robin.

     When Upsy came back... he came from the… that’s it!

     She made a break for the western side of town, towards the coasts and cliffs along that side of the island. When she arrived she saw a boat already on its way out to sea. It was clearly a pirate ship, as it had an image of a skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat.

     Straw hat?

     “You look just like a friend of mine.” the man in the straw hat had told her, “Only tiny.”

     That man was her crewmate! That was her boat!

     “Mother!!“ she cried out. When nothing happened she tried again. She looked carefully and saw Nico Robin on the deck, of the boat. She was turned away.

     No! You can’t just leave like this! You can’t! You can’t!!

     Kohato concentrated, she had an idea to get Robin’s attention.

     Please let it work… she wished silently.

     On the Going Merry’s deck, Robin was silent. The crew gave her her distance. They knew she was hurting from having to leave this island. Having to leave her daughter. Nobody asked Robin to help in the daily duties of setting off. They’d wait for her to join in on her own, when she was ready. Nobody said anything at all to Robin, until Usopp saw something behind her.

     “Robin…” he said, pointing, “Behind you.”

     Robin turned around and let out a soft gasp. From out of the Merry’s rear rail, a small arm was sticking out.

     “Kohato…” said Robin as she walked up and took the little hand in her own. She looked up at the island and saw, on cliffs, her daughter, her eyes flooded with tears as she cried out something. Robin knew how to read lips, but that wasn’t needed to tell Kohato was calling out to her mother.

     On the island, Kohato felt something grab her from behind. Looking, she saw two of her mother’s slender arms appearing from a large rock behind her. The arms pulled Kohato into the stone and embraced her. Kohato grabbed the wrists and held on tightly. Looking again in Robin’s direction, Kohato saw that her mother was looking right at her. She was crying, every bit as much as Kohato was. Her hands clasped around the little one Kohato had put on the ship.

     Mother and daughter held this position for minutes, until finally the boat was too far out for Kohato to successfully maintain the presence of her arm. Robin fought the urge to hang on tighter as the little hand slid out of her hands and back into the wood of the Going Merry. Robin had mastered a longer range, allowing her arms to maintain themselves for nearly another minute before they, too, receded into the stone they had materialized from.

     Mother and daughter remained where they were, their gazes fixed on the other, trying to keep each other in sight for as long as possible. When finally, the island and the ship were too far apart for one to be seen from the other, Kohato leaned back against the rock and slid down to a sitting position. She didn’t head home until sunset, not until she’d made herself a vow. One she would keep no matter what.

     She was little right now… she couldn’t deny it. Right now, she needed to be protected. She couldn’t survive on her own. But, one day, she would be grown up enough to take care of herself. When that day came, Kohato vowed, she would go out to sea, she would see the world, see the places she knew from history books. When she was strong enough to protect herself, she would seek out her mother, and they could be together.

     “One day, mother, when I’m grown up and stronger, I’ll go out to sea. I’ll set out and I’ll find you! I promise!”