𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Chapter 11

Ko was currently jumping from buildings to buildings while holding a weary Robin who gazed in astonishment at the teenage female who was easily holding her in her arms while not even sweating. From the way she had swiftly dealt with her enemy to how she effortlessly jumped a few meters high, Robin thought she had to reconsider the pieces of information she had about the woman holding her.

"Why... why are you here?" Robin stammered after a long time, her stormy eyes narrowed at the smile hanging loosely on Ko's lips.

Ko sent her a fleeting glance before answering, "I'm here for you." She continued calmly when she felt the woman tense in her arms, "the Revolutionary army wants you."

"I didn't know Ko was affiliated with the Revolutionary army..." Robin pushed a bit further: Ko was after all a known neutral party, as long as you had the money you could buy any amount of information.

"Well, that's still a secret," Ko finished with a wink that did nothing to appease her worries. As Robin gazed at the figure shrouded in mystery, she wondered what this information would cost her, Ko did nothing for free after all.

"We've arrived," Ko announced brightly as the settled down in front of a bustling merchant ship, and ignoring the wary glances of Robin, she waltzed through the crowd.

Robin watched with wonders as a few if not all greeted warmly – with a sense of familiarity even – the pink-haired female holding her, even joking around with the known underworld informant. All the while not acknowledging the presence of a wounded unknown person held in her arms, like they had learned not to question Ko's actions.

Ko's gaze flew through the crowd before stopping on an idling teenager staring out at the starry sky, "Hey, Dawn come here, I need you," she shouted, smiling when the blue-haired boy turned in her direction with a nod.

Ko finally weaved out of the crowd to a more secluded part of the ship, a brown-themed bedroom, with a king-sized bed lying alone in the middle of the bare room and a wooden cupboard standing on the far side.

After gently putting the wounded Robin on the bed, Ko motioned for the waiting boy to come in. "She got shot two times, one at the shoulder, the other at the leg," she explained, not a sliver of emotion slipping through, save for her usual grin that remained unbothered by the situation.

"'Kay, you can get out, your presence is not needed here," Dawn voiced out calmly not mincing his words, even knowing she could kill him in a second, because he knew she wouldn't. Used to his blunt words, Ko left peacefully, closing the door on the way out, while smilingly ignoring the dubious glares of Robin.

Seated on the deck's edges, Ko reported her successful mission to her grinning 'boss' using her wine-colored Den Den Mushi that now sported a wide grin and crimson tattoos. "We'll be here in about 2 days."

"Perfect, I trust she'll be safe and sound in your hands," Dragon added with a confident smirk, the Den Den Mushi reporting everything to her, down to his very expressions.

"Right, safe... and sound," Ko chuckled sheepishly before saying her good byes and hanging up.

"Well looking at the bright side, she was only shot two times..."

She glanced up at the stars shining brightly down on her before shaking her head and heading back inside. She already missed her brave silly brother.

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Ko sipped on her drink – wine graciously offered to her by the crew – watching amusedly as they drunkenly danced around while singing. They were supposedly celebrating her presence and though she knew it was only an excuse to drink and party up, she indulged them. For once they didn't need to keep their guard up, she was here to protect them. They were confident in her capacities and they trusted the teenager that saved them more than once while traveling with them in the past.

The merchant ship was a close ally of hers, she gave them pieces of information for their trade and in return, they gave her a percentage of their revenues. That was the deal she had given them just about a year ago when she was just starting as Ko.

At the sound of feet dragging in her way, Ko glanced right to see a bandaged Robin heading her way. Once she stood before her, Robin stared at her before bowing her head low, her black hair falling in front of her face hiding her expression. "Thank you for saving me," she finally said, her voice cracking slightly at the end.

When she heard no answer, she glanced up to see Ko smiling at her. It wasn't the usual half-hearted smiles she usually saw on the teenager's face, it was a gentle smile that held a hint of deeply hidden sorrow. It didn't take long for Robin to realize that Ko was not looking at her but through her. She wasn't seeing her but someone else, only she wondered who could garner such a reaction from the infamous informant, known for being without a past.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ko closed her eyes, and finally answered, "It's fine, don't worry about that," before continuing to drink, the alcoholic beverage seemingly not affecting her.

Robin silently observed the drinking woman who seemed lost in her thoughts, finding interest in the way her smile slowly but surely dimmed to a blank state unnatural to the always grinning female she knew. Under the light of the moon and surrounded by the loud blabbering of the partying crew, it seemed like Ko had unconsciously taken off her carefree mask.

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Just as she had told Dragon, their ship arrived at Baltigo island two days later. Robin was partially healed and was prescribed two months of rest by Dawn and after bidding goodbye to the merchant crew, they were left on the island.

The next day when Robin woke up, she was informed that Ko had left for a long-term mission. Having no better choice and wanting to repay Ko, Robin joined the Revolutionary army to Dragon's great delight.

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We're soon in the Marine arc, i'm super duper excited XD