The Good Life: A Lone Sea (ch. 27) (Patreon)

Life had been less than kind to Robin, she knew. There were a great many points that she could use as a point of reference -- her mother leaving her behind for years on end, to the point that neither of them had been able to recognize one another when they finally met. The ostracization she had faced due to her Devil Fruit abilities… that isolation which compelled her to spend most of her time in the libraries of Ohara. A distraction so she wouldn't feel the intense loneliness that had plagued her all of her life.

To say nothing of the destruction of her home and the merciless slaughter that befell everyone she had ever known. Even Saul, one of the precious few that she could call a friend, and who had given his life to give her a chance to live. Everything that came after… there wasn't much joy to be found. There were moments of peace, Robin supposed. Small moments when she found things she enjoyed or flashes of amusement. But, in large part…

Her life was defined by isolation and betrayal. She was ruthlessly hunted down by the Marines, saddled with a near hundred million bounty. A life changing amount of money for most. She found moments of kindness as a child, but without fail, every time the people who took pity on a lone child in desperate need of help learned about her bounty… they were quick to give her up, even if they didn't believe a word of her supposed crimes. In her early teens, she learned that associating with criminals was better.

You couldn't be betrayed by those that you never trusted, after all.

Only it had taken her a number of years to learn the art of betrayal. There were mistakes. Many of them. Each a lesson that she learned through pain, blood, and tears. There were times that the crews or organizations she attached herself to managed to betray her first -- when the never ending hunt for her made her more trouble than she was worth, or when the bounty was too tempting. There were even a few times when the Marines had managed to capture her. There were times that her betrayal and subsequent leaving of the organization wasn't as clean as she had hoped, leaving her with enemies. Those lessons… she survived them by the skin of her teeth.

It had been some time since she slipped up enough to be captured. Perhaps she had let her guard down -- she wasn't dealing with the World Government. The ever present threat that defined her life had vanished. She had awoken in a room, stripped naked and interrogated -- all the while, she hadn't been surprised. This wasn't unthinkable. Robin was more curious how she had been discovered and distracted by how she was going to escape.

Had Law given her up? It was a possibility, but it struck her as an unlikely one. In the end, Law was a creature driven by his muse -- he wouldn't sell her out unless he thought it was funny. He wouldn't be driven to cut her out due to a desire for control or greed, like so many before him had. Yoruichi was another possibility, but that also struck her as unlikely. Yoruichi was… lazy, for lack of a better word. She was a creature of comfort and had no desire for anything resembling responsibility.

But aside from them, there were precious few things that would have led back to her.

In any case, Robin didn't suppose it truly mattered. As always, it would be up to her to free herself. She already had a number of options -- Stan had tipped his hand with his reluctance to damage her permanently. Throughout the interrogation, he ensured that they didn't push too hard.

Law would not rescue her. Just as none of the other crews and organizations wouldn't. Nor did Robin expect him to. In the end, their arrangement was one of business and practicality. They had never spoken face to face. He didn't know the first thing about her. The only personal reason he might have for rescuing her would be sexual satisfaction, but they were not lovers.

It didn't make any logical sense that Law would rescue her. Not even her position as the one leading his organization because Law, quite frankly, would simply laugh as it all burned down. She knew that for a fact because he actively cheered for Vought when they managed to disrupt her plans.

Yet…

"Why are you here?" Robin breathed, looking up at Law, his face obscured by his mask. He looked down at her as he dropped his jacket over her shoulders. Robin… Robin didn't know how to feel, leaving an unsettling sensation of disbelief filling her. Her mind leaped to conclusion-- this was a hallucination induced by a third supe’s power. She had been drugged. That resistance to the brainwashing had knocked her out and this was simply a dream, but the headache still throbbed, and she could feel the warmth of the jacket that smelled like smoke around her.

"To rescue you. Duh," Law replied, and she could hear the cheeky grin in his modulated voice.

Why?

There were other members of the Eight that Law had thrown away with complete disregard, despite what they could offer him or the information that they held. Law simply hadn't cared. He didn't care about the losses that they suffered in Vought's retaliatory strikes. He hadn't even bothered to ask.

Robin understood their relationship. She had no doubts in her mind that if the time ever came, that she would receive the same treatment. And, to be completely honest, Robin even liked him for it. He was completely unashamed and genuine about his intentions, and she vastly preferred it over pretending that it would be different if she was in danger. If she was captured. Law lied when it suited him, but he wasn't a liar.

Only he was here.

"Wow. You really thought I'd just leave you to die, huh?" Law said. Squatting in front of her, sounding vaguely offended.

"You have with the others," Robin felt compelled to point out. "Roman Falcon and the others have been incarcerated for months now."

"Who?" Law asked and the brief flicker of amusement she felt was completely overshadowed by him proving her point.

"One of the original members of the Eight," Robin replied dryly.

"Ooh. Those guys. I completely forgot about them," Law admitted with exactly zero shame. That was the treatment that she expected from him. To be forgotten. She didn't begrudge him for it. Robin never had any expectations that she would be treated differently. And, if Law got himself killed with his antics, then she would hardly shed a tear for him. It would be a disappointing ending, but she was perfectly prepared to move on with her life. "That's different. They worked with me because they had to. You worked with me because you wanted to. And I…" he trailed off.

"I didn't appreciate the amount of effort you were putting into keeping everything afloat with my dumbass decisions. I took you for granted, and that… that was wrong of me," Law said and Robin wasn't entirely sure what she felt at the acknowledgment. Being appreciated did feel nice, but she was still reeling from the fact that he was rescuing her at all. "That won't happen in the future. I promise you. I can't promise that I won't cause you any trouble, but… I'll be there to clean up the messes I make."

As he continued, he offered a hand to help her rise to her feet. Robin looked at it, still unable to sort out what she felt. Her chest felt tight, her heart felt like it was in a vice… she stated at it, uncertain if she should accept it as his words bounced in her head like a bell. "You didn't answer my question," Robin pointed out.

"Hm? Oh… I'm rescuing you because I want to," Law answered her and despite it all, that got a smile out of her.

Of course. She shouldn't have expected anything different.

Accepting the hand, Robin was aware that Mesmer was shouting something but she couldn't hear it. Law was bending the sound waves to give them a small moment of privacy. He was her equal in height, Robin saw, standing before him for the first time. An impulse struck her as she reached out, cupping one side of his face to prevent him from being exposed to the cameras while the other lifted up his mask and tilted it an angle. She saw the dangerous smirk on his face before she leaned in, pressing her lips to his.

Law was a creature of whims and desires. She thought that meant his betrayal was inevitable, but she saw him now.

Law would never betray her…

And she would never betray him.

…

I really didn't see the kiss coming, I could freely admit. Not that I was complaining -- Robin was a ten out of ten if there ever was one. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her lips moving against my own. Considering everything we've already done, it was pretty chaste, but it felt a lot more intimate. Probably because she was here, in person, rather than projecting her voice or a part of her body.

And, as much as I really would like to see where the kiss was leading, this wasn't exactly the place to find out. Mesmer was freaking out about being in the same room as me, the girl was shouting and banging on the door that I had locked, and Stan was watching in a furious silence. Bending the sound waves was a simple thing, but after throwing down with Homelander… I was completely spent.

So, with the greatest of reluctance, I broke the kiss, though I saw Robin didn't mind. She was beautiful, with some of the bluest eyes I had ever seen. She wore a faint pleased smile as she placed my mask back on my face. "Unless you intend to have an audience, it might be best to deal with them," she remarked.

That was tempting.

But, sometimes, business had to come before pleasure. "If you say so," I replied, looking at the two way mirror, directly into Stan's eyes. He stood still, perfectly in control despite the barrier between us being non-existent and he knew it. The last time we had been this close had been the memorial for Lamplighter, and then, I didn't have any real reason to target him.

I could kill him now, I knew. Stan had been buckets of fun so far, but actions did have consequences. Robin was naked, her nose was bleeding… My Room didn't detect anything that implied a sexual assault, but I wasn't going to give the supposed 'good guys' credit for not raping someone. It was tempting. Very tempting. Almost as tempting as Robin…

But I knew how I was going to kill Stan.

"Are you done, John?" Stan said, and I almost laughed at the sheer amount of spite that could be packed into a single word. Before, I had just been an asshole that had ruined his day. Now, all these months later, I was the asshole that had ruined his life and dreams. "That is your name, isn't it? John Rogers."

That wasn't a name I had heard in a good long while. "It was," I admitted freely with a shrug. "But, I go by Law now." I could tell that it annoyed him that I wasn't having a greater reaction to my name being thrown in my face. But, it didn't mean anything to me. Not anymore.

John Rogers was an angry and bitter teenager who hated his life and everyone around him. Who raged at the unfairness of the world but was powerless to do anything about it. Because of that, he was sentenced to a life of mediocrity without ever accomplishing anything worth remembering.

That changed when John Rogers received an opportunity, and with that opportunity came power.

On that day, John Rogers died and Trafalgar Water Law was born.

"It's a shame that you interrupted such an enlightening conversation, John," Stan continued, trying to needle me for a reaction. "Miss Nico has been telling me all about yourself and your organization," he added, trying to drive a wedge between us. And, honestly, I kind of loved him for it. Stan was just relentless. Even when had nothing to play, he still tried to bluff to turn an absolute defeat into a draw. "Already, the military has been informed. I imagine that you'd return to New York to find everything you built on fire with Homelander fanning the flames."

I smirked, "That trap you left for me in New York? It's already been triggered. Can't say that I managed to beat Homelander, but the only one that lost that fight was New York's skyline." That sure wiped his air of confidence away, even if he hid it masterfully. That, he didn't expect. He didn't expect for me to be able to throw down with Homelander and survive the encounter, and after the taste I got, I understood why. "But, I think the military is going to be a little busy with a trap of my own," I continued, reaching into my pocket to produce a familiar-looking pin.

I could feel Stan going still at that. "You've planted bombs in the facility?" He replied, his tone droll and bored.

"A-Train was a pretty good cover," I began, lying like a lying liar. "Helplessly in love and willing to do anything to rescue Popclaw. He ran around America, looking all over for her… but, in reality…" I trailed off, jingling the hand grenade pin. That was the plan when I rang him up after Robin was taken. He was going to run to a depo and start planting bombs in major cities. It was going to be an ace up my sleeve if I had to negotiate for Robin's release.

He hadn't played along, obviously. But, the threat of the bombs worked regardless of whether they existed. Let them think that A-Train had been planting bombs for a week as he bounced around America like a pinball. And, even better, he wasn't around anymore to contradict the lie. Not to mention, it wasn't like they wouldn't believe me. I had assassinated the President for a giggle -- planting bombs in major cities was pretty in line with my MO, so I saw them taking the bait.

"Was," Stan replied evenly.

Unshakable. He really was the best. "Was," I agreed. A-Train was dead. Probably meant I could cut Popclaw loose, but… well, I think I might have broken her when I played around with her pleasure settings.

I could see that he was tempted to call my bluff, but he only stopped because he understood me. He knew that I'd blow the bombs as a matter of principle if he called me out. I had to swallow my giggles at how hard he was being finessed right now and he wasn't any the wiser. And, it'd be weeks before he managed to wisen up at all.

"You're insane," Stan stated in no uncertain terms, his expression tightening.

"Hurtful. True, but still hurtful. Now, I'm not going to pretend that you have much of an opportunity to disarm the bombs. They're going to blow one way or the other. However… I wouldn't be averse to delaying the inevitable. If you answered a question of mine," I offered.

Stan's eyes were as dark as obsidian and just as sharp, "I refuse." He replied stiffly, but I could feel his urgency growing. It was so very tempting to make it grow. To drive him to a panic attack, or even a heart attack. But, I had my plans and I was determined to see them through.

That being said, I couldn't let him deny me like that. "Shambles," I intoned, and I felt the wind knocked from my lungs as I swapped Mesmer for Stan. Mesmer immediately began to cower, trying to become so small and insignificant that he would evade my notice entirely. It was funny that the Supe had less of a spine than the normal. The Vought CEO looked briefly alarmed at his new position, but he clenched his jaw to put up a brave front. That fractured when I looked to the vaguely familiar blonde-haired girl.

Her blue eyes widened and they were filled with fear, "I- I shouldn't-" she began to stammer, trembling in fear.

"You should probably do what the crazy person asks you to do in these kinds of situations. But, if you're really that reluctant, I suppose I could just steal your heart," I warned, and honestly, I wasn't sure I had the stamina for even that much. For the very first time, I was thankful for my mask because without it, they'd see I was sweating bullets.

That tipped the scales and, giving me a wide berth, she hesitantly approached Stan, who simply watched her approach. Seeing her clear hesitation, he gave her a tight-lipped smile, "I understand, Cate." He told her, and after a gulp, Cate placed her hand on Stan's wrist.

"How did you find Robin?" I asked, and I could tell that Robin was interested to know as well. She leaned against me, and I could also tell that she was every bit as exhausted as I was.

"A-answer the question, Mr. Edgar," Cate whispered and I saw the effect her power had on Stan was immediate. Every muscle tensed before the words poured from his lips despite him actively trying to bite them back.

"Cinder Fall told us. How she discovered the information is unknown, though she claims to have independent spies within your organization." Stan answered, immediately going limp when he didn't have to fight to not answer.

So, I was right. My gut had pointed me towards Cinder, and I was vindicated. There was a question of why, though. Cinder was a ruthless bitch, and that's what I liked about her. She only ever acted in her own interest, but I was struggling to see how leading Vought to Robin helped her. She had to know that I would at least suspect something with her failure to warn me.

"How troublesome, but not unexpected," Robin remarked. Well, she had seen this coming based on the sideways look that she sent me. I had anticipated something like this too -- Cinder was on no one's side but her own, but I hadn't expected a play like this here and now and that was on me. If it had just been me, I would have been perfectly happy to laugh it off, but… she had put Robin in the crosshairs.

"She's got to be punished for that," I ventured, looking at Robin. She was the injured party here, so it was her call. She tilted her head to the side, and I could see the ideas forming and being discarded until she settled on something particularly vindictive.

Yet, she hesitated, "I would hate to interfere with your plans." She said to me, earning a warm chuckle.

"The best part of plans are when they go out the window for something better," I told her, and she didn't seem surprised by my philosophy.

"It would be best if this wasn't being recorded," Robin said, crossing her arms. "Dos Fleurs," she intoned before I felt an arm sprout out of the desk in the other room, which disabled the cameras. More sprouted out of Mesmer, who had just enough time to yelp before the hands grabbed him by the head.

The crack as his neck was snapped like a toothpick echoed through the two-way mirror. Cate flinched like she had been struck, looking at us in horror while I gave Robin a curious look -- wasn't sure what Mesmer did, but he had clearly done something to piss her off. She looked pleased with the sound before she looked at me.

Then, with a slight but cruel smile, she told me exactly how she wanted to punish Cinder. I couldn't help it. I laughed. And I laughed that much harder when I saw Stan was immediately fuming mad as he understood the implications.

I turned to Cate, who was looking at us with wide eyes, apparently sick to her stomach and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "You heard her. Get to it," I instructed, inclining my head to a furious Stan. He lurched in the restraints that kept him in place, a snarl starting to peel at his lips and, in that moment, Cate was as afraid of him as she was of me. "Cate. I'm not asking," I reminded her before I reached out with a hand and poked her directly above her heart.

She wasn't brave, because that threat was all it took for her to give in. Cate grabbed Stan's arm and uttered the command that Robin gave her to say. I saw the effect take hold instantly as Stan was brainwashed, he went limp before falling unconscious. Nervously, Cate looked over her shoulder at me, and based on how her expression tightened, I think her power was a little more than just mind control.

"She's worth sparing," Robin ventured, giving Cate a measuring look. Robin simply knew me well enough to guess my thoughts -- the girl was a loose end. We scared her, sure, but not so badly that she wouldn't crack. Stan was the type of character to cross his T's and dot his I's, so he would press if we left her alone. Or she would feel guilty enough to undo the order when she felt like it was safe to. "She understands that it would be in her best interest to remain silent about this."

There was a long, tense silence with Cate staring at us with wide eyes. I really didn't think it was worth the risk. It would probably be better to just kill her- "I-I won't say anything," Cate blurted, looking at me with a mask of fear.

Robin smiled lightly, "Of course, you won't. There was a very good reason why you weren't the first choice. Mind control and telepathy. Yes, I know who you are. I've kept a close eye on potential threats," Robin began, making Cate cringe at every word. "You're too powerful to ever be fully trusted. You know this. You also know the consequences of Stan Edgar ever learning your power was used on him, regardless of the circumstances. I'm afraid waking up in a black site like this would be the most you could hope to expect."

Robin had something planned for Cate, I realized. If she didn't, then she wouldn't take the risk or spare the effort. I could see the words had had a pronounced effect on Cate -- they resonated with longstanding fears. A confirmation of what she expected. Cate swallowed thickly, "I already said I wouldn't tell anyone anything."

"I heard. I just wanted to make sure you understood the consequences. After all, I have high hopes for you," Robin replied, her voice warm and Cate had a moment of panic before arms sprung from her back. "For your own good," Robin insisted before a loud crack filled the room as her neck broke. Non-fatally, I saw with my Room. Cate was carried to the ground, alive but unaware.

I couldn't wait to see what Robin had in mind for Cate, but for now, there were more pressing matters. "Ready to blow this popsicle stand?" I asked Robin, wrapping an arm around her.

"Quite ready," Robin answered, unable to keep the edge of relief out of her voice. I gave Cate a lingering look before I swapped the two of us with pieces of rubble that were located on the surface. Just in time for bits of rock to lightly bounce off of us from where Rumi and Yoruichi were still going at it.

The black site was a barn in New York, the state not the city. An isolated cabin in the woods was currently smashed to pieces while the dense forest around it was either reduced to splinters or on fire, while the gravel road was filled with craters. It was a rather stark difference in what amounted to about five minutes worth of fighting, but I didn't really have any right to throw stones there.

I saw the two of them going at it, but despite Yoruichi still being very naked, my attention was drawn to Rumi as they clashed, trading blows with explosive power. They weren’t moving as fast as A-Train at his best, but that didn’t mean they were slow. In terms of sheer acceleration, they were comparable to A-Train in his final moments, only they had infinitely more control than he did. A-Train was stuck running in straight lines, but with the two of them… they bounced around, clashing mid-air, entering and leaving my Room a dozen times in about five seconds.

And Rumi loved it. I saw her manic smile, I felt her exhilaration that was tangible within my Room -- she looked like she was having as much fun as I felt when I was throwing down with Homelander. Her ribs were broken, one of her arms was knocked out of the socket, her nose and lips were bleeding profusely, and she had more bruises than skin at this point. Yet, I saw it. If she were to die at this moment and ascend to Heaven, or whatever, her idealized version of an afterlife would be this moment. Blood stained her white teeth that were revealed with the crazed smile, the injuries doing nothing to slow her down as Rumi fought on.

“You have potential, but you aren’t quite there yet,” Yoruichi decided, looking no worse for wear as she caught sight of us. There was a sly smile on her face before she tossed a wink our way, bringing Rumi’s attention to us.

Rumi regarded us with confusion, “What the fuck are you two doing here?” She asked, seemingly genuinely confused. Then concerned when she saw Robin before her eyes narrowed into slits. “Is this some kind of nudist colony? What the fuck?” She growled in my direction.

Huh. So, Rumi had no idea why she was here in the first place. I wonder what lie they fed her? Ah, it didn’t matter. We were at the finish line, and we needed to break the ribbon by getting out of here. That lie about the bombs would buy us some breathing room and time to move assets around. We needed to jump to it. “Mirko. I hate to cut this short, but we have to hit the road.”

“Hm, looks like play time is over then,” Yoruichi said, making Rumi’s attention shift to her. “Try to copy my foot movements when you wake up,” she continued before she blurred forward. Yoruichi was strong. I knew that much. She tore through a team of helicopters with raw strength, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how fast she was. Rumi opened her mouth to respond, only for whatever she was going to say to be punched down her throat when Yoruichi’s fist struck her face.

Rumi was driven into the ground, forming a crater around Rumi’s head and I felt it within my Room. She was out like a light. Yoruichi stood, and I saw that there was no contest between them. She hadn’t taken a single hit, or if she had, Rumi hadn’t managed to actually injure her. That was a little daunting, if I was being perfectly honest. It had been some time since my last run in with Rumi, but my overall impression of her was that she was one of the more dangerous Supes out there. She was strong, and she knew how to use her power. Above all else, she didn’t mind a little pain if it meant winning.

I had no idea how strong Yoruichi really was, but I was starting to think she was a lot stronger than I initially assumed.

She threw a satisfied smile our way, “I see what you see in her, Heartless. And it’s nice to finally meet you, Robin. Ready to hit the road?” She asked and I heard Robin take in a deep breath. A savoring breath. I recognized its type -- I breathed the same back when John Rogers died and Law was born. It was the first breath of a brand new chapter in your life.

“Yes,” Robin decided, giving us both a small gentle smile. “I believe I am.”