Hi everyone.
Here's Chapter 2: The Weight of Choices
Hope you all love it!
Start:
The island had no name worth remembering.
Robin had checked three separate sets of charts—pirate maps stolen from a crew she'd infiltrated two years ago, Marine reconnaissance documents acquired through methods she'd never admit to, and even an old World Government survey from before the current era. All of them marked this place as "uninhabited, strategically negligible, no resources of value."
Perfect for an ambush.
She'd been watching the camp for eleven hours now.
The sun had crossed the entire sky, painting the world in shades of gold and crimson before bleeding into the deep purples of twilight. Naruto hadn't moved from his position on that rock for the first four hours—just sitting there like some kind of monk, watching the horizon with the patience of someone who genuinely believed she'd appear.
Foolish. Naive. Dangerous in its sincerity.
Robin's observation Haki pulsed outward in careful, controlled waves. No hidden ships beyond the obvious Marine vessel anchored offshore. No underwater approaches. No Sky Island forces waiting above the clouds—she'd checked that too, paranoid as it sounded. Nothing but ocean, empty sky, and two men on an island.
Either Naruto was the worst tactician in Marine history, or this really was exactly what he'd claimed.
Both possibilities terrified her.
"Treinta Fleur."
Thirty eyes bloomed across the island in a spreading pattern—hidden in trees, beneath rocks, within the shadows of the Marine camp itself. Each one feeding her information, building a three-dimensional map of every sight line, every potential threat, every angle of attack or escape.
The Lieutenant—Yamada, she'd heard Naruto call him—was sitting by the campfire now, cleaning his sidearm with the methodical efficiency of someone who'd done it ten thousand times. His movements were professional, competent, but not exceptional. Mid-level combatant at best. No Haki signature she could detect. Devil Fruit: unlikely. Threat assessment: moderate if she wanted to escape, negligible if she wanted to kill.
Naruto was the problem.
He'd moved to the campfire an hour ago, apparently giving up on his vigil. Now he was eating rations with the casual comfort of someone on a camping trip rather than someone waiting to confront one of the most wanted criminals in the world. His emotional presence was... steady. Warm. Like sunlight filtered through water. No spikes of anticipation. No coiled tension waiting for her to appear. Just patience.
Twenty years of survival instincts screamed that this was wrong. People didn't work this way. Trust was currency, and everyone eventually demanded payment.
So where was the hook?
Robin's hands moved through practiced motions, crossing and uncrossing as she prepared to summon more eyes, to check angles she'd already verified twice. Paranoia had kept her alive. Paranoia was—
"You can come out now."
Naruto's voice carried across the clearing, conversational and utterly certain. He hadn't looked up from his food. Hadn't turned toward the treeline where she was hidden. Just spoke into the empty air like he was continuing a conversation they'd been having all along.
Robin froze.
"I know you've been watching for a while," Naruto continued, still focused on his meal. "Probably since this morning, knowing you. Smart move. I'd do the same thing." He finally glanced up, and his eyes locked onto the exact tree she was hiding behind. "But it's getting dark, and I'm guessing you'd prefer to have this conversation before you lose the advantage of good visibility. So whenever you're ready."
Impossible.
She hadn't made a sound. Hadn't moved. Her Haki was suppressed to the point of non-existence. Her presence was as close to invisible as two decades of practice could make it.
And he'd known exactly where she was.
Robin's mind raced through possibilities. Advanced Observation Haki? No—she'd seen masters of that art, and even they needed some kind of tell to lock onto. Devil Fruit ability? Unknown. That "chakra" he'd mentioned? Possible, but she had no data on its sensory capabilities.
Or—and this was the thought that made her blood run cold—he'd expected this exact behavior and positioned himself accordingly. Had predicted where she'd observe from, how long she'd wait, when she'd likely make contact. Had read her so thoroughly that seeming omniscient was just a matter of understanding her psychology.
That would make him the most dangerous person she'd ever encountered.
"Lieutenant Yamada," Naruto said calmly. "Take a walk. Two hours. You know the drill."
Yamada's hand had already moved toward his weapon—good instincts—but he caught himself. "Sir, I really don't think—"
"Not a request." Naruto's voice remained gentle, but there was command beneath it. The kind of authority that didn't need to be loud. "If you don't hear from me in two hours, return to the ship and leave. Don't look for me. Don't try to be a hero. Just go."
"You're asking me to abandon you with—"
"I'm ordering you to respect my tactical assessment." Naruto finally looked at the Lieutenant, and something in his expression made Yamada's protests die unspoken. "Trust me. Please."
The please did it. Yamada's jaw worked, cycling through about five different emotions, before he nodded stiffly. "Two hours. Sir."
He collected a transponder snail and walked away from the camp, disappearing into the twilight without looking back.
Smart man. He knew when orders were absolute.
Robin waited until Yamada was well out of earshot. Then she stepped out from the treeline.
Naruto didn't react with surprise or triumph or any of the micro-expressions she'd learned to read over twenty years of survival. He just smiled—small, genuine, like she'd confirmed something he'd already known.
"You're earlier than I expected," he said conversationally. "I had you pegged for at least another day of observation before direct contact."
"I'm full of surprises." Robin stopped fifteen feet away—close enough for conversation, far enough to react if this went wrong. Her weight was balanced, hands relaxed but ready. Professional stance. Combat-ready without being overtly threatening. "Though apparently not as full as you. Detecting me without Observation Haki is impressive."
"Different world, different tricks." Naruto set down his food, movements slow and deliberate. Non-threatening. "But you didn't come here to discuss technique."
"No." Robin's eyes narrowed. "I came here to figure out if you're delusional or dangerous. The newspaper said Fleet Admiral Sengoku approved Protocol Sanctuary. That you've taken personal responsibility for my protection. That the Marines are publicly acknowledging 'errors' in my bounty."
She took a single step closer, watching for micro-reactions. "What it didn't explain is why. What you possibly gain from chaining your future to someone the World Government wants dead. What your real agenda is beneath all this idealistic posturing."
"No agenda." Naruto's voice was steady. Sincere. Maddeningly honest. "Just what I said. Protection. No conditions."
"Nobody does that." Robin's laugh was sharp. "Nobody offers protection without expecting payment. So I'll ask you directly: what do you want from me?"
Naruto was quiet for a long moment. Not thinking—she could tell the difference between calculation and consideration. He already knew his answer. He was just deciding how to phrase it.
"I want you to have choices," he said finally. "Real choices. Not just survival decisions, but actual options about how you want to live. That's it. That's the entire agenda."
Robin felt anger flash hot in her chest. "Don't. Don't give me that naive bullshit about freedom and choices. I've survived twenty years by understanding exactly what people really want when they pretend to be altruistic. Pirates wanted someone who could read Poneglyphs. Revolutionaries wanted intelligence. Criminals wanted leverage. Everyone wanted something, and the ones who claimed they didn't—"
Her voice cracked, just slightly. Just enough.
"—those were always the ones who hurt me worst when I finally trusted them."
Naruto's expression softened, and somehow that was worse than pity would have been. "I know. I read the reports. Not just the official bounty documentation, but the supplementary files. Every organization you've worked with. Every crew that recruited you. Every single one of them used you for what you could do and discarded you the moment you became inconvenient."
He stood up slowly, giving her time to track the movement. "Baroque Works is using you right now. Crocodile needs an archaeologist to find Pluton, and you're the only one alive who can read the Poneglyph in Alabasta. Once he has what he wants, he'll kill you. You know this. You've known it from the beginning. But you're still there because at least with Crocodile, you know exactly when the betrayal is coming."
Robin's hands twitched. How did he—
"Predictability feels safer than genuine care," Naruto continued, his voice gentle but relentless. "If you know someone's going to betray you, you can prepare for it. Plan around it. Survive it. But actual sincerity? Actual commitment without ulterior motives? That's chaos. That's unpredictable. That means trusting someone, and trust is the most dangerous thing you could possibly do."
"Stop." Robin's voice came out harder than she intended. "Stop acting like you understand me. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know what twenty years of running feels like. You don't—"
"You're right." Naruto's interruption was quiet. "I don't know exactly what you've experienced. But I know what it's like to be treated as a monster before people even learn your name. I know what it's like to be isolated, attacked, condemned for something you were born as rather than something you chose to be."
His hand moved unconsciously to his stomach, fingers pressing against fabric like he was touching an old scar. "In my world, I was a container. Born with something sealed inside me that made people afraid. Made them hate me. Made them see 'demon' when they looked at me instead of 'child.' I spent years being alone because everyone had already decided what I was."
Robin's breath caught. That casual revelation—my world—confirmed what she'd suspected. He wasn't from here. Wasn't native to this world of Devil Fruits and Haki and the World Government's eight-hundred-year lie.
"So no," Naruto continued. "I don't know your exact pain. But I know what it's like when the world decides you're easier to fear than to understand. And I know what it meant when someone finally looked past that fear and saw me as human."
He met her eyes across the firelight. "I became a Marine to be that person for others. The one who sees past the label to the human underneath. The one who offers a choice instead of just condemnation."
"That's a beautiful story." Robin's voice was cold, controlled. "But the world doesn't work that way. The world sees 'Demon Child' and stops looking. The world doesn't care about nuance or understanding or second chances. The world wants me dead, and your pretty ideals won't change that."
"Maybe not." Naruto's smile was sad. "But I'm going to try anyway."
"Why?" The question exploded out of her. "Why risk everything for someone you don't even know? Why stake your career on protecting me when I've given you absolutely no reason to trust that I won't betray you the first chance I get? What could you possibly gain from this?"
"Nothing." Naruto's answer was immediate. "I gain nothing. I'll probably lose quite a bit, actually. Political capital. Future promotions. The trust of people who think I'm being naive. Maybe eventually my career or my life if the World Government decides I've become too problematic."
He spread his hands. "But here's the thing, Robin—justice isn't supposed to be profitable. It's not supposed to be convenient or politically safe or easy to maintain. The moment we start making decisions based on what we gain instead of what's right, we stop being Marines and start being thugs with legal authority."
Robin felt something dangerous stir in her chest. Something that felt like hope, and hope was poison.
"You're going to get yourself killed," she said, and her voice shook despite her best efforts to control it. "The World Government doesn't forgive challenges like this. They'll come for you. They'll make an example of you so brutal that every other idealistic Marine learns to shut their mouth and follow orders."
"Let them try." Naruto's voice dropped, became something that wasn't quite threatening but definitely wasn't gentle. "I didn't invoke Protocol Sanctuary because I thought it would be easy. I did it because it's right. And I'm willing to pay whatever that costs."
He took a step forward, and Robin's body tensed—hands ready to bloom, muscles coiled to dodge or strike. Naruto stopped immediately, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.
"But that's my choice, Robin. My risk. My consequences to handle. You don't have to carry the weight of what I'm choosing to do."
"Except I do." Robin's hands clenched into fists. "Because if you die trying to protect me, that's on my conscience. If you destroy your future because you decided I was worth saving—that's something I'll have to live with. And I've already got enough ghosts. I don't need yours too."
"Then don't think of it as my sacrifice." Naruto's voice gentled. "Think of it as the world finally doing something right. Finally acknowledging that what happened at Ohara was wrong. That hunting an eight-year-old child for two decades was wrong. That you deserve better than what you've gotten."
He sat back down by the fire, deliberately breaking the confrontational energy. "You asked what I want from you. Here's the complete honest answer: nothing right now. Stay or go, trust me or don't, accept protection or keep running—those are all your choices. All I'm doing is making sure you have choices instead of just survival instincts."
Robin didn't move. Didn't sit. Just stood there processing impossible information.
"The newspaper said I'd become a Marine," she said finally, testing. "Under your command. That sounds like conditions."
"That's the legal framework we needed to make Protocol Sanctuary politically viable," Naruto admitted. "Sengoku had to sell this to the World Government as structured oversight, not blanket immunity for a wanted criminal. So officially, you're a Marine recruit under my supervision."
He poked the fire with a stick, sending sparks dancing. "In practice? You don't wear the uniform. Don't take orders. Don't participate in anything you're not comfortable with. The title is legal fiction. The protection is real."
"And if I commit crimes?"
"Define crimes." Naruto's tone was wry. "Killing slavers who try to capture you? Self-defense. Reading Poneglyphs, which is technically illegal? I'd tell the World Government to prosecute me for allowing it. Defending yourself against Marines who don't accept that you're under protection? Justified response to unlawful aggression."
His eyes hardened. "But if you mean actual evil—slavery, murder of innocents, genuine crimes that deserve punishment—then yes, we'd have a problem. But I don't think that's who you are. I think you're someone who did what was necessary to survive in a world that gave you no other options."
Robin's throat tightened. "You don't know me."
"No," Naruto agreed. "But I know your actions. Twenty years of survival, and you've never once been reported killing anyone who wasn't actively trying to kill you first. Never engaged in slavery or human trafficking despite how lucrative that would be for someone with your abilities. Never used your knowledge of Poneglyphs to extort or manipulate beyond what was needed for protection."
He looked up at her. "You're not a monster, Robin. You're a survivor. Those are very different things."
"Maybe I just haven't had the right opportunity yet." Her voice was sharp, testing his reaction. "Maybe I'm exactly the demon everyone thinks I am, and I've just been waiting for the perfect moment to prove them right."
"If that were true, you wouldn't have called." Naruto's response was immediate. "You wouldn't have come here. You'd have taken the newspaper's information and used it to disappear more thoroughly than ever. The fact that you're here, having this conversation, means some part of you wants to believe this might be real."
Damn him. Damn him for being right.
Robin's carefully constructed defenses were cracking, and she couldn't stop it. Twenty years of practice at emotional control, and this impossible Marine was dismantling her piece by piece just by being genuine.
"I need time," she heard herself say.
"You have it."
"I need to be able to walk away if this feels wrong."
"You can. Always."
"I need—" Robin stopped, the words catching. "I need to know this isn't just you collecting me like some kind of redemption trophy. Proof that your ideals work."
Naruto's expression shifted—something soft and sad crossing his features. "You're not a trophy. You're not a project. You're not evidence of anything except the World Government's capacity for evil and your own remarkable ability to survive it."
He stood up, gave her space. "I'm going back to the fire. You can join me if you want. You can leave if you prefer. You can sit in the treeline and watch for another eleven hours if that makes you feel safer. Whatever you choose, I'll respect it."
He walked away, leaving Robin alone with her thoughts and her fears and the terrifying possibility that maybe he actually meant every word.
Robin didn't join him at the fire.
But she didn't leave either.
Instead, she moved to a position thirty feet away—close enough to hear conversation, far enough for tactical retreat. She sat against a tree, posture casual but senses hyperaware, and she watched.
Naruto didn't try to engage her. Didn't make small talk or attempt to draw her closer. He just existed in that space, adding wood to the fire occasionally, eating his rations, respecting her need for distance.
An hour passed. Then two.
The sun bled out completely, leaving them in darkness broken only by firelight and stars. The temperature dropped. Night sounds emerged—insects chirping, waves crashing in the distance, wind whispering through leaves.
"Can I ask you something?" Naruto's voice carried across the space between them. Not demanding. Just offering.
Robin considered maintaining silence. Considered using that silence as a form of control, a reminder that she set the terms here.
But curiosity won. "What?"
"Why did you call?" Naruto asked. "After reading the newspaper, after confirming Protocol Sanctuary was real—you could have just vanished. Used the information to disappear more thoroughly than ever. Why risk direct contact?"
Robin was quiet for a long moment, debating how much truth to offer.
"I wanted to see if you were stupid enough to mean it," she said finally.
"And?"
"The jury's still out." But there was something in her voice that wasn't quite as cold as before. "You're either the most genuine person I've ever met or the most dangerous manipulator in the world. I haven't decided which yet."
"Fair assessment." Naruto poked the fire. "For what it's worth, I hope you figure it out eventually. But I'm not going to rush you. This isn't a limited-time offer that expires if you don't make a decision by some deadline."
"Everything expires eventually."
"Then I guess we'll see who's right." He glanced back at her, and in the firelight his eyes seemed to carry their own illumination. "I've got nothing but time and apparently nothing but stupid conviction. So take all the time you need."
Robin felt something loosen in her chest. Not trust—she was decades away from trust—but maybe the faintest possibility that trust could theoretically exist. Someday. If he proved consistent enough.
"Tell me about Ohara," she said suddenly. "The real story. Not the propaganda. You said you read classified reports. What did they actually say?"
Naruto's entire demeanor shifted. The casual warmth bled out, replaced by something that looked like grief.
"They said the scholars were innocent," he said quietly. "That they weren't trying to revive ancient weapons. They were trying to preserve history. To understand the Void Century not as a weapon but as knowledge."
His voice dropped further. "The World Government ordered the Buster Call not because Ohara was dangerous, but because the truth they were uncovering would undermine the Government's authority. Would make people question the system that's existed for eight hundred years. Would reveal that the World Government itself was built on lies."
Robin's hands clenched. "And the refugee ship?"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki sank it personally." Naruto's words were flat, factual, but Robin heard the rage beneath them. "Claimed it was necessary to ensure no scholars escaped. That even civilians might have been 'contaminated' with forbidden knowledge. The truth is it was murder. Mass murder. To erase any witnesses who could contradict the official story."
"And you still serve them." Robin's accusation was sharp as broken glass. "Knowing all this, you still wear that uniform. Still call yourself a Marine."
"I do." Naruto's admission was steady. "Because leaving wouldn't stop them. Running away from evil doesn't make it disappear—it just means you're not there to fight it. I became a Marine to change things from inside, not to abandon ship because the system is broken."
He looked at her directly. "I can't undo Ohara. Can't bring back your mother or the scholars or anyone who died for trying to understand history. But I can make sure their deaths mean something. Can make sure you don't spend the rest of your life running from a crime you didn't commit."
"Don't." Robin's voice cracked. "Don't try to give their deaths meaning. Don't try to make their murder into some noble sacrifice. They didn't choose to die. They were slaughtered. And pretending that matters for some greater purpose is just another lie."
"You're right." Naruto's agreement surprised her. "I can't give their deaths meaning—that's not mine to assign. But I can make sure the people who ordered their deaths don't get to write the final chapter of Ohara's story. That's not redemption. It's just... responsibility."
Silence fell between them, heavy and profound.
Robin stared at this impossible Marine across firelight, and something in her chest twisted painfully.
"I don't forgive the Marines," she said, and her voice shook with suppressed fury. "I don't forgive the World Government. I don't forgive anyone who knew the truth and did nothing while an eight-year-old girl was branded a demon and hunted across the world."
"I don't expect you to."
"And I don't trust you."
"I know."
"But—" The word caught in her throat. "But I want to. And that's what terrifies me."
Naruto's expression softened with something that looked like understanding. "Fear means you're still human. After everything, that's worth protecting."
Robin felt tears prick at her eyes—actual tears, the first she'd allowed herself in years—and she crushed them viciously. Crying was weakness. Emotion was vulnerability. She'd learned that lesson watching Ohara burn.
But the tears came anyway.
"Damn you," she whispered. "Damn you for making me hope."
She stood up abruptly, and Naruto tensed—not reaching for a weapon, just ready. Robin saw that readiness, that preparation for her to attack or flee, and something in her broke.
She walked toward the fire. Not close—still maintaining distance—but closer than before. Close enough to accept a plate of food when Naruto offered it. Close enough to sit on the opposite side of the fire and watch him through flames that made his features dance.
"I'm not accepting yet," she said firmly. "I'm not committing to anything. I'm just... observing."
"Understood."
"And if at any point this feels like a trap—"
"You leave," Naruto finished. "No pursuit. No retaliation. The offer stands regardless."
Robin nodded slowly. Then, because the silence felt like it needed filling: "Why did you really become a Marine?"
Naruto's hand moved to his stomach again—that unconscious gesture. "I told you. I know what it's like to be treated as a monster."
"But there's more." Robin's observation Haki pulsed gently, reading the micro-tensions in his body. "You're leaving something out."
Naruto was quiet for a long time. Long enough that Robin thought he might not answer.
"I had a teacher," he said finally. "In my original world. His name was Iruka. He was the first person who looked at me and saw potential instead of danger. The first person who acknowledged my pain instead of pretending I deserved it."
His voice roughened. "He saved my life. Not physically—though he did that too—but emotionally. Gave me a reason to keep trying when it would have been easier to become what everyone feared. And when I asked him why he bothered with someone everyone else had given up on, you know what he said?"
Robin shook her head.
"He said 'Because someone has to be the first to believe. Otherwise, how does anyone ever get a second chance?'" Naruto's smile was sad. "I became a Marine to be that person for others. The one who believes first. Who offers the second chance before it's earned."
Robin felt her throat close. "That's going to get you killed."
"Probably." Naruto's smile widened, became something reckless. "But at least it'll mean something."
Despite everything—despite every survival instinct screaming at her, despite twenty years of learning that trust was suicide—Robin felt the corner of her mouth twitch.
"You're insane."
"So you keep saying."
"I'm serious. Certifiably, clinically insane."
"I prefer 'optimistically delusional.'" Naruto grinned. "Sounds better in reports."
Robin laughed. Actually laughed. The sound came out rusty and unpracticed, like she'd forgotten how the mechanism worked, but it was real. Genuine. The first authentic laugh she'd produced in longer than she could remember.
Naruto's expression softened, and something that looked like wonder crossed his features.
"There you are," he said quietly.
"What?"
"The person underneath all the survival mechanisms. The one who existed before the world decided you were easier to hunt than protect."
Robin's hands clenched. "Don't try to redeem me. I'm not some innocent waiting to be saved. I'm a survivor who did what was necessary, and I don't regret any of it."
"I'm not trying to redeem you." Naruto's voice was gentle. "Redemption implies you did something wrong. Surviving isn't a crime. You're not broken, Robin. You're adapted. Those are different things."
He stood up, stretching. "It's getting late. Second tent is yours if you want shelter. Or stay out here. Or leave and come back tomorrow. Whatever makes you feel safest."
Robin watched him walk toward the tents, her mind churning through implications and possibilities and the dangerous feeling that maybe she'd found something she hadn't known she was looking for.
"Naruto," she called out.
He paused.
"If I stay tonight—just to observe—does that change anything?"
"No." Immediate. Certain. "The offer is the same whether you stay or go."
Robin nodded slowly. Then, before survival instincts could reassert control: "I'll take the tent."
"Okay."
That was it. No triumph. No satisfaction. Just acceptance.
Robin stood and walked toward the tent, hyper-aware of vulnerability, of danger, of every instinct screaming that this was the moment the trap would spring.
But she ducked inside, found a simple bedroll and nothing else. No restraints. No mechanisms. Just shelter.
She lay down, body tense, mind racing. She wouldn't sleep. Couldn't sleep. Would maintain watch all night—
Exhaustion hit like a wave.
For the first time in twenty years, Nico Robin slept without nightmares.
Three hundred miles away, in a office that officially didn't exist, a phone rang.
"Report."
"Contact confirmed, sir. They spoke for approximately three hours. Target accepted shelter. Appears to be... sleeping."
A long pause.
"Sleeping? Nico Robin is sleeping in proximity to a Marine?"
"Yes, sir. Our observer confirms genuine REM cycle. No signs of maintained consciousness or defensive positioning."
Papers rustled in the darkness. "Interesting. Very interesting. It seems Uzumaki's approach is more effective than predicted."
"Should we intervene?"
"No. We observe. We wait. But accelerate Phase 2 preparations. If she's already lowering her guard this quickly, we need to pressure-test that connection before it solidifies."
"Understood. What's the timeline?"
"Two weeks. I want Baroque Works' timeline accelerated. Push Crocodile toward endgame. If Robin is going to choose between her old survival patterns and this new option, let's make sure that choice costs her everything."
The line went dead.
In the darkness, a figure pulled out a file and made a notation:
Day 1 - Subject showing unprecedented vulnerability. Uzumaki's psychological approach exceeding projections. Recommend immediate escalation to test commitment under pressure.
The figure smiled.
"Let's see how far your conviction takes you, young Marine. Let's see what you're willing to sacrifice when the costs become real."
Meanwhile, back on the island, Naruto sat outside his tent, ostensibly keeping watch.
He felt Robin's emotional presence shift—suspicion sliding into exhaustion, exhaustion into something that felt almost like peace. Then the distinctive signature of actual sleep. Real rest, not the half-aware combat readiness she probably usually managed.
Progress.
The transponder snail in his pocket chirped softly. Yamada, checking in at the two-hour mark.
"I'm fine," Naruto said quietly. "She's here. Sleeping. No, I don't need backup. Check in at dawn."
He ended the call and returned his attention to the night.
Behind him, in the tent, Robin stirred. Her Devil Fruit activated unconsciously—hands blooming on the tent walls, the ground near the entrance. Guard positions. Protection so deeply ingrained it operated even in sleep.
Naruto's expression softened. "I've got watch. You can rest."
The hands dissolved, and Robin's breathing deepened.
Naruto settled in for the night, senses extended, monitoring for threats.
Not because he didn't trust Robin—though the possibility of her waking up and deciding to kill him was absolutely real—but because for the first time in twenty years, she was sleeping without maintaining her own defenses.
Someone needed to watch her back.
Might as well be him.
Hours passed. Stars wheeled overhead. Waves kept their eternal rhythm.
And then, at approximately 3 AM, Naruto felt it.
A presence. Multiple presences. Approaching from the ocean.
His sensory abilities sharpened, cataloging the incoming signatures. Three ships. Medium-sized. Crew complement: approximately forty combatants total. Emotional resonances: hostile. Intent: predatory.
Pirates.
But not random pirates. These were moving with purpose, with specific targeting. Heading directly for this island despite it having no strategic value or resources worth plundering.
Someone had told them where to look.
Naruto's jaw clenched as the implications settled like ice in his stomach.
This wasn't coincidence. This was a test.
Someone—World Government, rival Marines, unknown third party—had leaked their location. Had arranged for pirates to attack this exact island at this exact time. To see how Naruto would respond when Robin was vulnerable. To pressure-test whether his conviction would hold when protecting her meant actual combat.
Behind him, Robin stirred. Not awake yet, but her subconscious was picking up on the danger. Her Devil Fruit pulsed—hands starting to bloom unconsciously.
Naruto made a decision.
He stood up, cracked his neck, and walked toward the shoreline.
Three ships. Forty combatants. Unknown capabilities, likely low-to-mid tier given they were in Paradise rather than the New World.
Manageable.
The lead ship was close enough now that he could see figures on deck. Torches. Weapons. The distinctive skull-and-crossbones of pirate colors flying proudly.
"Attention unknown vessels," Naruto called out, his voice carrying across the water with chakra-enhanced projection. "You are approaching a Marine operation. Turn back now, and there won't be any problems."
Laughter echoed across the waves. Harsh. Mocking.
"Marine operation?" A voice boomed back—deep, confident, carrying the arrogance of someone who thought superior numbers meant guaranteed victory. "We were told there's just one boy playing soldier and a woman with a seventy-nine million berry bounty! That's a fortune, boys! And all we have to do is kill one Marine brat to claim it!"
More laughter. The ships accelerated, closing distance rapidly.
Naruto sighed.
"I gave you a chance," he said quietly.
Then he moved.
Chakra flooded his system in a rush that would have killed a normal person. His body became a weapon, physics becoming negotiable as he pushed power through pathways that existed outside this world's normal rules.
He stepped onto the water.
Just walked out onto the ocean's surface like it was solid ground, chakra maintaining surface tension beneath his feet. It was a technique he'd modified from his original world's water-walking exercise—in a world where Devil Fruits were common and most power users couldn't swim, being able to traverse water was an absurd tactical advantage.
The pirates' laughter died as they realized what they were seeing.
"What the—"
Naruto blurred forward.
"Rasengan."
The sphere of rotating chakra materialized in his palm—blue-white and screaming with contained destruction. He slammed it into the hull of the lead ship.
Wood exploded. The entire vessel lurched sideways, a hole ten feet wide suddenly appearing below the waterline. Water rushed in with the sound of catastrophe.
Naruto was already moving.
He jumped—not with muscles alone, but with chakra propulsion that launched him like a missile. He landed on the second ship's deck, and pirates scattered like startled prey.
"Get him! There's forty of us and one—"
Naruto didn't let him finish.
Shadow clones erupted into existence—fifty of them, each one solid enough to fight, each one containing a fraction of his chakra and all of his combat experience. They flooded across the deck like a tide of identical warriors.
It wasn't even a fight. It was a demonstration.
Pirates went down—not killed, Naruto was careful about that, but thoroughly incapacitated. Broken bones. Dislocations. Strategic nerve strikes that would leave them conscious but unable to fight. The kind of precision violence that spoke to years of training and absolutely no mercy for people who threatened those under his protection.
Three minutes. That's all it took.
Three minutes, and three ships full of pirates were floating dead in the water—one sinking, two disabled, and every single combatant either unconscious or wishing they were.
Naruto stood on the deck of the second ship, breathing slightly harder than normal, surrounded by groaning pirates.
"Who sent you?" His voice was cold. Professional. The tone of someone conducting an interrogation. "Who told you about this island?"
Silence. Groans of pain, but no answers.
Naruto sighed and crouched down next to the captain—a large man with tribal tattoos and the look of someone who'd been relying on intimidation his entire career.
"I'm going to ask one more time," Naruto said quietly. "And then I'm going to assume you're working with people who are actively threatening someone under my protection. Which means you stop being pirates I'm arresting and start being enemy combatants. You understand the difference?"
The captain's eyes widened with genuine fear. "We... we got a tip. Anonymous. Said there was a wanted woman on an island in this area, poorly defended. Easy bounty."
"Anonymous." Naruto's voice was flat. "Via what method?"
"Dead drop. In Mocktown. Payment in advance, information included. We thought it was a gift from the gods." The captain laughed bitterly. "Guess the gods have a sense of humor."
Naruto stood up, processing. Dead drop meant untraceable. Professional operation. Someone with resources and planning capability.
This wasn't random. This was orchestrated.
Someone was testing him.
He turned and walked back across the water, leaving the pirates to deal with their sinking ship and broken bodies. Not his problem anymore. Let them swim to shore and contemplate their life choices.
When he returned to the camp, Robin was awake.
She stood outside her tent, hands already blooming across the surrounding area in defensive positions. Her eyes tracked the damaged ships in the distance, then snapped to Naruto.
"What happened?" Her voice was controlled, but Naruto heard the tension beneath.
"Pirates. Three ships. Someone tipped them off about our location." Naruto's tone was matter-of-fact. "I handled it."
"Someone... tipped them off." Robin's expression hardened. "This was a test."
"Probably."
"To see if you'd actually protect me when it meant combat."
"That would be my assessment, yes."
Robin's hands clenched. "This is exactly what I was afraid of. We've been here one day—one day—and already people are trying to kill me. Trying to use me to get to you. This is what happens when you make yourself a target."
"This is what happens when powerful people feel threatened," Naruto corrected gently. "They push back. They test. They try to find breaking points."
He walked past her toward the fire, restarting it with practiced efficiency. "But here's what's important: they failed. You're safe. The threat is neutralized. And whoever sent them just learned that I'm serious about protection."
"For how long?" Robin's voice was sharp. "How long before they send someone stronger? Someone you can't handle? Someone who succeeds in killing me or you or both of us?"
"Maybe never. Maybe tomorrow." Naruto's honesty was brutal. "I can't predict the future, Robin. I can't promise you'll never be in danger. But I can promise that when danger comes, you won't face it alone. That's the deal. That's what protection means."
Robin stared at him, her mind racing through implications and contingencies and the growing realization that this man was either the most committed person she'd ever met or completely insane.
Possibly both.
"You fought forty pirates." Her voice was quieter now. "Alone. In three minutes."
"Give or take."
"You can walk on water."
"Modified surface-walking technique. Useful in a world where Devil Fruits users are common."
"You created copies of yourself."
"Shadow clones. They're solid constructs made of chakra. Each one can fight independently."
Robin processed this catalogue of impossible abilities. "What else can you do?"
Naruto smiled—and it wasn't the warm, gentle smile from earlier. This was something sharper. More dangerous. The smile of someone who'd been holding back and was now revealing exactly how much.
"Enough," he said simply. "Enough to keep you safe. Enough to make anyone who comes for you regret that decision. Enough that the World Government should be very, very concerned about what happens if they push me too far."
He poked the fire, sending sparks dancing into the pre-dawn darkness. "You asked earlier why I'm doing this. Why I'm willing to risk everything. Here's another piece of that answer: because I can. Because I have power that exists outside this world's normal rules, and that means I have options other people don't. And I'm choosing to use those options to protect someone who deserves it."
Robin felt something shift in her understanding. This wasn't just idealism. This was calculation. Strategic deployment of asymmetric advantages.
Naruto wasn't naive. He was dangerous. Dangerous in ways the World Government hadn't fully grasped yet.
"You're planning something," she said slowly. "Something bigger than just protecting me."
"I'm planning to change the system," Naruto confirmed. "To reform the Marines from inside. To make 'justice' mean something real instead of just being propaganda for World Government authority. Protecting you is part of that—proving that the Marines can acknowledge their mistakes and do better. But it's also just the right thing to do, independent of any larger strategy."
He looked at her directly. "You don't have to be part of the larger plan, Robin. You can just accept protection and live your life however you want. But if you're interested in being part of something bigger—in helping reshape what justice means—that option exists too."
Robin's mind was spinning. This was so much more complex than she'd anticipated. Not just one Marine's idealistic crusade, but the opening moves of something that could reshape the entire power structure of the world.
And he was offering her a seat at that table.
"I need time," she said again, but it meant something different now. Not time to decide if this is a trap but time to decide if I'm ready for this.
"You have it," Naruto repeated. "No pressure. No timeline. Just options."
The sun was starting to rise, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. A new day. New possibilities.
Robin looked at this impossible Marine who'd walked on water and destroyed three ships single-handedly and still offered her choices with genuine gentleness.
"I'm staying," she said suddenly. "Not accepting formally. Not committing to anything long-term. But I'm staying to observe. To see if you're actually as consistent as you seem. To figure out if this is real."
Naruto's smile was genuine warmth. "That's more than enough."
"And if I decide to leave—"
"You can. Always. That doesn't change."
Robin nodded slowly. Then, because she needed to establish some kind of boundary: "But I have conditions. I want to understand your abilities. Your limits. What you can actually do versus what you're claiming. If I'm going to consider trusting you, I need complete information."
"Fair." Naruto gestured to the beach. "We've got time before Yamada returns. Want a demonstration?"
Robin's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Show me what you can do, Marine. Prove you're worth the risk."
Naruto stood up, cracked his knuckles, and grinned.
"Alright. But fair warning—this is going to be loud."
Three hours later, Lieutenant Yamada returned to a beach that looked like a warzone.
The sand was carved with craters. Trees were scorched. Three ships floated as disabled wreckage in the nearby waters. And in the middle of it all, Commander Uzumaki Naruto was demonstrating some kind of glowing energy technique while Nico Robin—the Demon Child of Ohara, one of the most wanted criminals in the world—watched with analytical interest.
Yamada stopped walking. Stared. Tried to process what he was seeing.
Naruto noticed him and waved cheerfully. "Oh, hey Yamada! Perfect timing. Robin and I were just discussing combat applications of chakra versus Haki. You know anything about advanced Armament techniques?"
Yamada's brain struggled to form words. "Sir... what... those ships..."
"Pirates. Someone tipped them off about our location. I handled it." Naruto dismissed the glowing energy sphere in his hand. "Robin's going to be staying for a while. She's observing. Making sure I'm not completely insane before she commits to anything."
"A while." Yamada repeated faintly. "She's... staying."
"Just for observation," Robin interjected coolly. "Don't read too much into it, Lieutenant. I'm simply gathering data."
"Data. Right. Of course." Yamada looked between them—his commanding officer grinning like this was all completely normal, and one of the world's most dangerous criminals analyzing him with the same expression someone might use to examine an interesting insect.
His entire worldview was crumbling.
"Sir," he managed finally. "I should report this to headquarters. The pirate attack. The... situation."
"Go ahead," Naruto said cheerfully. "Tell Sengoku that the situation is developing well. Robin is here voluntarily, we had a minor security incident that's been resolved, and I'll have a full report within forty-eight hours."
"A minor security incident," Yamada repeated weakly. "Sir, you destroyed three ships."
"They attacked first. Self-defense." Naruto's smile was beatific. "Completely by the book."
Robin made a sound that might have been a laugh. "Your definition of 'by the book' is creative."
"I prefer 'flexibly interpreted.'"
Yamada gave up trying to understand. "I'll... make the report, sir. Should I tell them about Miss Robin's presence?"
"Tell them she's under observation and that the situation remains stable." Naruto glanced at Robin. "Unless you want different language?"
"That's accurate," Robin said. Then, with slight emphasis: "For now."
Yamada nodded numbly and walked away to make his report, his mind already trying to figure out how to phrase this in a way that wouldn't sound completely insane.
Behind him, he heard Robin's voice, dry with amusement:
"You're going to give that man a nervous breakdown."
And Naruto's response, warm with laughter:
"Nah. Yamada's tougher than he looks. Besides, he signed up to serve under me. He knew it would be interesting."
"Interesting. Is that what you call it?"
"I prefer 'character-building.'"
Yamada kept walking, determinedly not looking back, trying to figure out how his life had gotten this weird.
Behind him, on a beach carved with evidence of impossible power, two people who shouldn't trust each other began the strange, dangerous process of figuring out if maybe they could.
Two Days Later - Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office
Sengoku read Yamada's report for the third time.
Then he read Naruto's supplementary documentation.
Then he poured himself a drink despite it being 10 AM.
Garp, lounging on the couch in the corner, was already laughing. "Three ships! In three minutes! That's my boy!"
"Your boy just demonstrated why the World Government is terrified of him," Sengoku said tiredly. "Do you have any idea what kind of questions I'm getting from the Gorosei about Naruto's capabilities?"
"Let them ask." Garp's grin was sharp. "Let them wonder exactly how powerful he is. Keeps them cautious."
"It also makes them more likely to see him as a threat that needs elimination."
"Then they'll learn what happens when they threaten someone I've trained." Garp's voice dropped, became something dangerous. "I didn't teach that boy to be weak, Sengoku. I taught him to be strong enough that people think twice before coming after him."
Sengoku rubbed his temples. "And Nico Robin is with him. Voluntarily. Observing."
"Progress!"
"It's a political nightmare is what it is." But Sengoku's voice held something that might have been approval. "Though I have to admit, his approach is working better than I expected. Robin hasn't run. Hasn't betrayed him. Is actually engaging with the possibility of accepting protection."
He looked at Garp directly. "Do you think he can actually pull this off? Can he protect her against everyone who's going to come for them?"
"I think that boy has surprised everyone who's ever underestimated him," Garp said. "Including me. Including you. Including the World Government. So yes. I think he's got a shot."
"And if he fails?"
"Then we make sure he doesn't die trying." Garp stood up, his expression serious. "That's our job now, Sengoku. We got him into this. We approved Protocol Sanctuary. We're responsible for whatever happens next."
Sengoku was quiet for a long moment. Then he signed the approval for continued operation.
"Tell Naruto he has one month," he said finally. " one month to either get Robin to accept protection formally or to admit this isn't working. After that, we need to make hard decisions about resource allocation and political exposure."
"One month," Garp repeated. "I'll pass it along."
He left, still grinning, already planning how to word the message to Naruto.
Sengoku sat alone in his office, looking at reports that suggested the world was about to change in ways no one was fully prepared for.
"Twenty years old," he muttered to himself. "Twenty years old and he's already reshaping Marine policy and challenging the World Government. What's he going to be like at thirty?"
The thought was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.
Meanwhile - Unknown Location
"The test failed."
"I'm aware."
"Uzumaki neutralized all three ships in under five minutes. Demonstrated abilities we didn't have in his file. Shadow clones. Energy projection. Water walking. He's more dangerous than we assessed."
"Good."
"...Sir?"
"If he were easy to defeat, he wouldn't be worth the effort of removing. The fact that he exceeded expectations means we need to adjust our approach, not abandon it."
Papers rustled. "Phase 3. Forget about testing his capabilities. We know enough. Now we test his conviction. His willingness to sacrifice when the costs become personal."
"How?"
"Baroque Works. Accelerate their timeline. Push Crocodile toward endgame. When Alabasta falls into chaos, when Robin is forced to choose between her survival instincts and this new option—that's when we'll see what she's truly worth to him."
"And if he chooses to protect her even then?"
The voice was quiet. Cold. Final.
"Then we move to terminal solutions. If Uzumaki Naruto is willing to burn the world down for one person, we need to remove him before he gets strong enough to actually do it."
The line went dead.
In the darkness, plans were made.
Pieces moved into position.
And the game entered its next phase.
Back on the island, as the sun set on their second day together
Robin sat by the fire, watching Naruto add wood with practiced efficiency.
"They're going to escalate," she said quietly. "Whoever sent those pirates. They'll send something worse next time."
"I know," Naruto replied.
"You could still back out. Tell me you made a mistake. Let me disappear before this gets worse."
"I could." Naruto looked at her across the flames. "But I won't."
"Why?" Robin's voice was soft. "Why are you so determined to protect someone you barely know?"
Naruto was quiet for a long moment, watching embers rise into the darkening sky.
"Because," he said finally, "in my original world, I was alone for a long time. And the thing about being alone—really, truly alone—is that it teaches you exactly how much it means when someone finally chooses to stand with you. Even when it's hard. Even when it costs them something."
He met her eyes. "You've been alone for twenty years, Robin. Twenty years of running and hiding and trusting no one. I can't give you back those years. Can't undo that isolation. But I can make sure that starting now, starting today—you're not alone anymore. That when danger comes, you have someone in your corner. That's worth protecting. That's worth any cost."
Robin felt her throat tighten. "You're going to make me cry, and I refuse to cry in front of Marines."
"Then I guess I'll look away." Naruto turned his gaze back to the fire, giving her privacy for her emotions. "Take your time. Process however you need to. I'm not going anywhere."
Robin let out a shaky breath, and something in her chest cracked open—something that had been locked tight for two decades.
Not trust. Not yet.
One month to prove you're either the real thing or the most elaborate trap I've ever encountered. Either way, I'll be ready.
"One month," she said suddenly. "Give me one month to observe. To see if you're consistent. To figure out if this is real. If you can maintain this for One month without showing me some hidden agenda—I'll consider accepting. Formally."
Naruto turned back to her, and his smile was like sunrise. "One month. Done."
"But I have conditions—"
"Of course you do."
"—I want complete transparency. About your abilities. About what you're planning. About what this protection actually costs you politically. No secrets. No convenient omissions. If I'm going to trust you, I need to know exactly what I'm buying into."
"Fair," Naruto agreed. "Complete transparency. You can ask me anything."
Robin nodded slowly. "Then my first question: what do you actually want to accomplish? Not just with me, but with the Marines. With the world. What's the endgame?"
Naruto's expression became serious. Focused. "I want to change what justice means. Right now, 'justice' is just propaganda for World Government control. Marines follow orders without questioning them. The system protects itself instead of protecting people. I want to change that from the inside—reform the Marines into an organization that actually stands for something real."
"That's impossible."
"People keep telling me that." Naruto grinned. "I'm starting to think 'impossible' just means 'nobody's tried hard enough yet.'"
Robin felt that dangerous feeling stir again. Hope. "And you think protecting me—one wanted criminal with a bounty—is part of that larger change?"
"I think proving the Marines can acknowledge their mistakes and do better is fundamental to that change," Naruto said. "If we can't admit that Ohara was wrong, that hunting you was wrong, that the World Government's version of history is a lie—then we can't reform anything. We're just maintaining a broken system."
He leaned forward, and firelight made his eyes seem to glow. "So yes. Protecting you is part of the larger strategy. But it's also just the right thing to do, independent of any grand plan. You deserve better than what the world gave you. That's reason enough."
Robin stared at him, processing, calculating, trying to find the angle and failing.
"I'm going to regret this," she said finally. "I'm going to trust you, and you're going to betray me, and I'm going to regret letting my guard down."
"Maybe," Naruto allowed. "Or maybe you'll trust me, and I'll prove that trust was justified, and you'll get to have something you haven't had in twenty years."
"Which is?"
"A future that's more than just survival."
Silence fell between them, heavy with possibility.
Robin stood up slowly. "I'm going to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow."
"Okay."
"And Naruto?" She paused at the tent entrance. "Thank you. For the watch last night. For letting me rest without maintaining my own defenses."
"You don't have to thank me—"
"I know. But I am anyway."
She disappeared into the tent, leaving Naruto alone with the fire and the stars and the dangerous feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was actually making progress.
Behind him, in the tent, Robin lay down and closed her eyes.
And for the second night in a row, she slept without nightmares.
But this time, as she drifted off, she felt something new.
Not safety. Not trust.
But the beginning of believing that maybe both were possible.
Someday.
If this impossible Marine proved as consistent as he seemed.
One month, she thought. One month to figure out if hope is worth the risk.
Thirty days to see if you're real, Uzumaki Naruto.
Thirty days to decide if I'm ready to stop running.
And in the darkness, watched by stars and shadows and forces that neither of them fully understood yet, two people who shouldn't trust each other took another step toward something that might, eventually, become partnership.
The game had truly begun.
And the world would never be the same.
End.
This chapter admittedly was a bit repetitive with the dialogue, but I just had it this way so I could try underscore just how much Robin is apprehensive and anxious about all of this.
With Naruto's actions, he's made plenty of enemies.
But the main two can be considered Akainu and Crocodile.
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https://www.patreon.com/c/Demon_Knight939
I hope you all loved the chapter and I hope to see you all on the next one!