Late at night, inside Robin's room...
The castle had fallen completely silent. Everyone was already deep in slumber, even the zombies had returned to their resting spots, quietly awaiting dawn to begin another endless cycle of work.
Robin sat by a candle-lit lamp, turning the final page of a weathered autobiography. Her eyes glinted with fatigue, and she let out a quiet yawn.
Closing the book gently, she looked up toward the bed, where someone sat motionless. A woman with furrowed brows, her face a storm of anger and pride. Her clenched jaw and intense gaze radiated authority, yet it wasn't a frightening presence. Rather, it stirred something like pity.
It was Boa Hancock.
If not for the Seastone shackles binding both her wrists and ankles, anyone seeing her for the first time would've mistaken her for a queen mourning her own sorrowful fate.
Robin suddenly stood up, her eyes flashing mischievously. With a soft chuckle, she looked at the shackled queen and asked gently,
"Would you like to rest?"
Her voice was like a spark in a dry forest.
The moment the words landed, Hancock erupted in fury. Her eyes blazed with rage as she barked:
"How dare you treat me this way?! You'll pay for this insult!"
Her expression darkened like a brewing storm. Her glare locked onto Robin, pure hatred in her eyes.
Worried that Hancock might cause more trouble, Luffy had gone back to Moria and requested an extra pair of Seastone cuffs. He used them to bind her ankles, too.
To prevent Hancock's charm from affecting Robin, Luffy kept both keys safely on his person.
Even if Robin found herself tempted by Hancock's beauty, Luffy had no reason to worry.
Robin remained unfazed by the outburst. Her gentle smile never left her lips as she slowly approached Hancock step by step.
Then she softly spoke a phrase that made Hancock's eyes go wide with shock.
"The Hoof of the Celestial Dragon, isn't it?"
BOOM!
A wave of overwhelming pressure hit Robin. She staggered, nearly collapsing.
She caught herself just in time, though barely. Her mental strength wasn't weak, but the force she felt just now was on another level.
It was Conqueror's Haki.
"What did you just say?!" Despite being shackled and a prisoner, Hancock suddenly exuded a commanding aura. Her eyes gleamed with deadly cold light, her expression fierce.
Robin reached for the nearby table to steady herself and took a moment to recover.
Then, raising her head slowly, she looked straight into Hancock's furious eyes and said,
"The mark on your back…"
The air grew heavy. A low hum vibrated through the room.
Robin gritted her teeth under the pressure, but her voice didn't waver.
"That tattoo on your back, it's the 'Hoof of the Celestial Dragon,' isn't it?"
Hancock bit her lip hard but said nothing.
The Conqueror's Haki that had filled the room began to dissipate.
She no longer had the pride to keep it up.
What use was pride to a fallen empress locked in chains?
"Hoo…"
As the pressure lifted, Robin let out a slow breath, thinking to herself:
"So this is Conqueror's Haki…"
Luffy had explained the three types of Haki to her and Brook before, but he'd never actually shown them what the Conqueror's type truly felt like.
Just now, that suffocating wave of pressure... that had to be it.
In the New World, she'd heard, people with Conqueror's Haki were as common as fish in the sea.
And yet…
"I'm still too weak," she thought quietly.
After a moment of reflection, Robin looked at Hancock again. Her gaze had softened.
"I was right then," she said gently.
"When I helped you change clothes today, I noticed something that didn't quite make sense…"
Hancock, flustered under Robin's direct gaze, turned her head away in silence.
Robin wasn't deterred. She took another step forward.
In truth, Robin didn't know exactly what the "Hoof of the Celestial Dragon" looked like. That autobiography she'd read barely mentioned it in passing. Most of it described the extravagant lifestyle and overwhelming power of the Celestial Dragons.
But Hancock's reaction earlier had been far too telling.
With Robin's sharp intellect and worldly knowledge, she easily put the pieces together.
And now, seeing how Hancock reacted to her words, Robin was even more certain.
Her expression turned tender.
"It must have hurt… a lot, didn't it?"
Those unexpected, compassionate words made Hancock visibly waver. Her eyes flicked to Robin in surprise.
Robin stepped closer and looked down at the woman curled up slightly on the bed.
Her voice was warm and steady.
"I'm Robin. Historian of the Starry Sky Pirates. And…"
She paused, suddenly looking a bit shy.
Hancock turned toward her, puzzled.
Robin didn't finish the sentence. Instead, she continued with a soft smile,
"I'm from Ohara. A country once full of knowledge and history."
She shook her head, her voice lowering.
"None of that matters now."
"When I was very young, the World Government sent the Marine to destroy my island. I was the only one who survived."
"Since then, I've lived in the shadows… I've seen slaves, and I've seen things even more cruel than slavery."
"So I understand your pain. And I won't say something empty like 'just forget it.'"
Robin's voice remained gentle as she sat beside Hancock and glanced at the shackles on her wrists and ankles.
As if suddenly remembering something, she added:
"By the way, Moria has taken your shadow. So whatever you do, don't go out into the sunlight. It'll burn you to ash."
"Luffy can be ruthless with enemies, but he's always kind to those he considers his own."
"He let you wear my clothes and stay in my room. That means he doesn't see you as a threat anymore."
"If you can promise me something, I'll talk to Luffy. Maybe he'll give you some freedom. You won't have to live like a prisoner in a cage."
"I'm sure you don't want to go through that again."
Robin's words were like a river in early spring, cold at first, but gradually warming, flowing softly into Hancock's heart.
Hancock's face filled with disbelief. Her lips trembled slightly as she whispered,
"So… that's why you let me stay here?"
Robin didn't answer. She just smiled.
Even she didn't fully understand why.
Maybe it was the kindness returning to her heart after years in darkness.
Maybe it was Hancock's beauty that stirred her empathy.
Or maybe… it was the fear that Luffy might actually do something reckless during the night.
Hancock lowered her head slowly. Looking at the chains binding her, painful memories bubbled up once more.
"Damn it… how can someone be so gentle?" The proud Empress clenched her fists in silence.
Robin stood, stretching a little.
"It must be uncomfortable being bound like that, but it's already late."
"The bed's big enough for both of us. Let's rest."
She leaned over and blew out the candle.
Moonlight spilled through the cold window, casting a soft glow on Robin's face and highlighting the dimples in her cheeks.
"I'll speak to Luffy on your behalf tomorrow."
With that, she lay down in a corner of the bed.
Hancock's cheeks were faintly red.
Looking at Robin's face under the moonlight, her head began to swim.
In a quiet, almost dazed voice, she muttered,
"…So beautiful."
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