She knew she didn’t deserve your immediate trust.
Why would he allow HER, the enemy, join their crew so easily?
All of you were shocked after you left Alabasta with Miss All Sunday in tow.
Nobody knew how, or why she was there.
After telling Luffy that she had nowhere to go after Crocodile's defeat, that she may as well have been homeless, he allowed her to join the crew. No tension or preamble, just pure, oblivious trust.
This woman was such an enigma to you. You had a million questions.
It wasn’t easy to put your faith into an enemy turned ally.
Robin knew this.
She didn’t work hard to gain it. She knew it'd draw suspicion from you, that she was trying too hard, and therefore multiplying your animosity towards her.
Instead, she did it in subtle, almost imperceptible ways. Comfortable silence or quality time were her ways of caring. Anyone with a brain wouldn’t accept her immediately. That took time. Time neither you nor anyone else on the crew wanted to give her.
She was too smooth and cunning, you thought. She had to be up to something. Something to stab you and your crew in the back.
Over time, though, you mellowed out.
Her unexpected presence in your life became like a silent, comforting safety net. She never really made her presence known or felt. She was always just.. there. Never seen or heard unless she made it so.
After Enies Lobby and the fight with CP9, it was like all the "progress" you and her made completely diminished in days.
You didn’t want her bringing trouble, and she understood that. By then, the rest of the crew, even Zoro, to hell and back, trusted her fully. They tried talking you out of it, telling you she never meant to hurt the Straw Hats, which was why she departed from their lives at Water 7 and had no intention of returning.
It made your gut twist.
He cared too deeply about her to take that suicide leap — that’s the whole reason you guys went to Enies Lobby in the first place. Against your will.
After she returned safely, you all went back to Water 7 to get a new ship — after Luffy set the Merry aflame.
It was a time of joy and sorrow.
You all partied and had fun at your return, receiving many thanks for saving Icebarg's life and getting rid of the intruders. Life was good for a while. Pure bliss, if you would.
It was an upsetting goodbye, but you gave your final farewells to the townspeople and left Water 7 with the brand new Thousand Sunny, and new crewmate — The Shipwright, Franky.
It happened right after your departure from Water 7. Stars and dark blue and blackish clouds cluttered the sky as everyone wound down for the night, returning to their respective cabins and hammocks to go to sleep, as did you.
Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
That night, you twisted and turned in your bed on the new ship, staring unconsciously at the ceiling above as if it was going to give you a revelation.
You were thinking about Robin.
About the friendship you two once had — how it all went to shit within a matter of seconds. You wanted to apologize, but you didn’t know how. She was too distant.. maybe she wouldn’t forgive you.
The thoughts plagued your mind, even in sleep.
Soft footsteps echoed through the halls as Robin passed your cabin to go to her own, eyed widening at hearing you whimper in the dark.
Your room door was slightly ajar as she slowly opened the door, approaching your bed with such soft footsteps they could have been mistaken for gusts of wind.
She sat on the edge of your bed, her expression softening as she gently shook you awake.
They're having a nightmare, aren’t they?
She watched with a gentle expression as you woke with a start — drenched in sweat and a pale complexion.
She put a soft hand on your back, guiding you to sit upright so she could get a good look at you.
"I know you don’t trust me," she started, looking you up and down, her expression softening.
"But I've been exactly where you are."
Slowly, she enveloped you into a soft embrace, without expecting anything in return.
"Name five things you can see."
She mumbled, studying your face.