Nine years ago, Cocoyasi Village, East Blue.
That year, Nami was only nine years old.
Having spent some twenty years living on the run, Robin had mastered skills such as reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance without a teacher. Even setting aside physical combat factors, in terms of professional quality, Nico Robin was not much different from the special agents specifically trained by the World Government.
Trailing the police officer from a distance, Robin arrived near a residence located at the back of Cocoyasi Village.
Hiding behind a tree, Robin silently observed the house.
It was a very simple wooden cabin, devoid of any superfluous decoration. There was a modest orchard in the front yard, and judging by the faint scent of tangerines in the air, it wasn't hard to tell what kind of fruit was grown here.
(Is this Miss Navigator's childhood home?) Robin thought to herself. Then, crossing her arms in front of her chest, she activated the ability of the Flower-Flower Fruit.
—Dazzle!
It had to be said, the capabilities of the Flower-Flower Fruit were truly perfect for peeping.
At the door of the wooden cabin.
"Belle-mère, why can't you take me and Nojiko along this time?"
"Come on, Nami, Belle-mère has important things to do." Nojiko pulled at her sister, who was two years her junior. "Don't go causing trouble."
"But..." Little Nami looked aggrieved.
Seeing this, a woman with short pink hair, wearing a plaid shirt and dangling a cigarette from her mouth, handed a bag she was holding to the mustachioed constable standing aside. She then crouched down and rubbed the heads of her two precious daughters.
"I can't take you with me this time." Belle-mère grinned, then picked up a poster from the table. The glittering iris emblem drawn on the poster was extremely eye-catching.
"According to this poster from a week ago, the Goldglint Trading Company's merchant ship will be docking at the neighboring town today. Not only will they be purchasing various fruits at a very fair price, but they are also holding a sale on daily necessities at very low prices."
"There's bound to be a huge crowd fighting to buy things then, so I won't have the time to look after you two."
Discounts, big sales—these words held a massive attraction for a housewife like Belle-mère.
"But don't worry, I'll bring you back something delicious. Alright, let's head out, Genzo. I'll leave that cart of tangerines to you~" Belle-mère kissed little Nami and little Nojiko on their rosy cheeks, then headed out the door following the police officer with the pinwheel in his cap.
Looking at Genzo, who was pushing the cart of tangerines with a pained expression, it seemed he had been forcibly conscripted by Belle-mère to work as a coolie...
A little while later.
"Ugh~~ Honestly." Little Nami sat on a chair reading a book, puffing out her cheeks in anger as she muttered, "It must be really lively there. I really want to go see it."
"Come on, Nami."
Nojiko chuckled. Just as she was about to continue speaking, a rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the door...
An uninvited guest had arrived at the little wooden cabin.
Little Nami and her sister Nojiko, who was two years older, were sitting at the table. On the other side of the table sat Nico Robin, wearing an elegant smile.
(So cute Childhood Miss Navigator... that purple-haired one must be her sister. Hehe, she's so cute too~~)
Looking at the two adorable little girls, carved like pink jade, the smile on Robin's face—who had always been fond of cute things—grew increasingly gentle. It was hard to imagine that this "Devil Child," who had long since cast herself into the darkness, could show such a warm, heartfelt smile.
Reluctantly withdrawing her gaze from the two little girls, Robin's eyes shifted, quickly assessing the surrounding environment.
The furnishings in the room could only be described as impoverished; it seemed the owner of the cabin was not wealthy. Yet, even so, Robin felt a faint, strange, yet reassuring feeling.
It was the feeling of "home."
(Wait, that is...) Glancing at a long-barreled musket hanging on the wall, Robin's expression shifted slightly. for the Devil Child who had dealt with the Marines often enough, this standard-issue Marine musket from years past was all too familiar.
(It seems their mother used to be a Marine.) A thought immediately formed in Robin's mind.
On the other side, the two little girls were whispering to each other.
"Hey, Nojiko, why did you let this woman of unknown origin in?" Little Nami complained to her sister.
"But, she just said she was Belle-mère's friend." Little Nojiko glanced at the intellectual beauty with the exceptional aura. "Besides, I don't think she looks like a bad person."
Although she couldn't compare to Sherlock's passive talent for naturally making friends, Robin's appearance still easily garnered goodwill from others.
"Nojiko, you really are too much." Little Nami shook her head and looked at the charming woman with the calm face.
"Big sister, who are you? Do you have business with Belle-mère?"
"My name is Robin. I was a friend of your mother's when she was in the Marines. We haven't seen each other in a long time, so I came to visit her." Robin smiled gracefully at the two little girls, spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"A Marine?" Nojiko frowned, then suddenly recalled stories she had heard from the villagers about her adoptive mother's past. She began to believe Robin's identity a bit more.
Little Nami's thoughts, however, were much simpler.
"Then, Big Sister, since you're here to visit a friend, did you bring any gifts?" The orange-haired little girl smiled brilliantly, her face full of anticipation.
"Nami! That's too rude," Nojiko scolded, then bowed slightly to Nico Robin. "I'm so sorry, my sister doesn't know any better. Please don't mind her."
(Should I say, as expected of Miss Navigator? She already had this tendency from childhood...) Robin silently quipped in her heart.
(According to the intelligence I gathered from the village, the current time period is nine years ago. And right now, this is precisely the most carefree period of her life.)
(The timing of my arrival here is simply too coincidental...)
As an excellent archaeologist, Robin was very skilled at things like puzzles and deduction. She treated this inconceivable event happening to her as a profoundly mysterious puzzle game.
Witty as she was, she already had a vague idea of what was going on.
The only thing that puzzled Robin now was how she could get herself back.
No, to be precise, how to "wake up"!
(Since the place I transmigrated to is Miss Navigator's past, then whose past has intruded upon my own? I hope it isn't Sherlock...) Thinking of this, the expression on the charming woman's face became slightly unnatural before immediately returning to calm.
At that moment, Robin subconsciously glanced at the poster on the wooden table, and her blue-black eyes instantly lit up.
(Goldglint Trading Company? Isn't that Sherlock's chamber of commerce in the East Blue? Nine years ago? That means... he has already been the president for a full year, and right now, Sherlock would only be fifteen years old.)
(Since this is already Miss Navigator's past, the possibility of him appearing is extremely low. But even so, I should still go there and take a look.)
After pondering for a moment, Robin looked at the two little girls and smiled. "I'm terribly sorry, I came in such a rush that I forgot to prepare gifts."
"Why don't we go buy gifts together?"
"Buy gifts?" x2
"That's right, to buy gifts." Robin suddenly felt like a human trafficker deceiving little girls, but to verify the thoughts in her mind, she had to bite the bullet and continue:
"Isn't the neighboring village holding a special sale right now? It must be very lively there. Let's go there to buy gifts."
"And we can look for your mother on the way, can't we?"
The two little girls were incredibly tempted by Robin's highly seductive proposal. At first, Nojiko, being the obedient child, had some concerns, but under the persuasion of a certain scheming older sister, she soon compromised.
On the road.
Compared to the well-behaved and obedient Nojiko, little Nami was much more lively. The orange-haired little girl held Robin's hand, chattering away asking about this and that, cheerful as a little lark.
"Ne, ne, Big Sister, did you come from the other side of the sea?"
"Yes, actually, this is my first time on this island." (And in such an inconceivable manner) Robin added in her mind.
"Ooh, I'm so envious." Little Nami immediately showed a look of longing. "I really want to go out to sea too. The outside world must be amazing. But Belle-mère never allows it."
"Dummy, Nami, you're still so small. How could Belle-mère feel safe letting you go to sea?" Nojiko rolled her eyes. "Besides, although the sea is beautiful, it's also full of danger."
Little Nami looked dismissive. "I know that, of course! That's why I've been studying navigation. Don't look at me like I'm only nine, I've already learned all the navigation knowledge in the books!"
"I'm starting to learn chart drawing now. Sigh~~~~ If Uncle Genzo wasn't there today, I definitely could have stolen that book on chart drawing!"
"Nami..." Looking at little Nami's regretful expression, Nojiko sighed helplessly. "Actually, compared to navigation and chart drawing, your 'thieving skills' are the ones that have improved the most, aren't they?"
"You [Little Cat Burglar]!"
Hearing this, little Nami stuck out her tongue cutely, looking proud. It seemed she quite liked this title.
(So that's where the name 'Cat Burglar' comes from...) Robin thought to herself.
And so, holding the small hands of the two little girls, Robin walked slowly toward the neighboring village's dock, chatting and laughing along the way.
From a distance, the scene was so harmonious, so beautiful.
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