"Sister Robin! Come out~ We've come to challenge you again~" Several children pressed their faces against the window, peering eagerly into the house.
The leader of the little rascals was about six or seven years old, with a messy mop of black short hair. His soft features, inherited from his mother, and the unmistakable freckles of the Portgas family made him look especially bright and cheerful.
"Yeah! Sister Robin, come out! We've already thought of a way to deal with your Hana Hana no Mi!" A little orange-haired girl with a milky voice, held by an older girl, cheered behind their "big brother leader."
Before the adorable orange-haired girl could say more, two pale arms suddenly sprouted from her shoulders. Delicate fingers gently pinched both sides of her cheeks and pulled—
"Ugh~ Sister Robin, pwease stahp, spare Nami.. (Sister Robin is the best~)" The four-year-old, her speech slurred from having her cheeks stretched, immediately melted into submission.
The owner of the arms slowly pushed open the door. Her shoulder-length black hair fell smoothly, and the still-damp strands, glistening with water droplets from her recent bath, came into view of Ace and the others.
The orange-haired little traitor decisively switched sides, bouncing toward the gentle-smiling girl at the door: "Robin-chan!"
"Wow! Big sis, you smell so nice~" Nami buried herself in the teenage girl's embrace, taking a deep breath before clinging to her like a kitten.
"Hey!! Nami! You can't just do that—I don't need a traitor like you!" The leader pouted, his lips jutting out high in frustration.
For some reason, his tone carried a hint of sourness: "You're always clinging to Sister Robin! Didn't you say you were grown up?!"
The little girl named Nami turned her head and stuck out her tongue at the freckled boy: "Stupid Ace, I'll just become Sister Robin's subordinate in the future~"
She looked up at the older sister, whose face was still full of tender amusement, then nuzzled deeper into her embrace: "Sister Robin really is the best. Hey hey, Ace stole a Seastone item from his grandpa today to use against you!"
"Dammit!!" The little lion, furiously ruffled by this betrayal, flailed his arms and charged at the turncoat who'd leaked his secret. "Don't reveal my ultimate weapon!!"
Robin smiled and nodded, lightly booping the little girl's nose before turning her gaze to the approaching boy: "Seastone, huh? That's a good idea, little Ace."
"Your theory lessons are paying off—Seastone is indeed the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users. But it's useless if you can't touch your opponent~" The tall girl patted Nami, who was still curled up in her arms, and the latter very cooperatively scampered to the side.
The "big brother leader," his plan exposed, took off a necklace from around his neck and clenched it in his fist.
He sped up, lunging at Robin: "Take this! My [Sakazuki Fist]!!!"
"Pfft!" Robin burst out laughing at the little one's move name. Her deep blue eyes reflected the image of her foolish little brother charging at full speed. The moment the little lion was about to collide with her, she suddenly pushed off the ground, leaping into the air.
Even as she spun gracefully mid-air, she had the leisure to hook a finger around the back of his collar, lifting the already-missed Ace upside-down in front of her.
"Yo! You shouldn't underestimate your big sister." The teenage girl, in high spirits, pulled the still-struggling little lion into a tight hug.
The boy's face turned bright red, but he froze in her arms, not daring to move. Puffing his cheeks into a pout, he weakly protested: "Sister Robin, once I learn Soru, it won't be like this! I'll definitely beat you then."
"Sure, sure, little Ace is so amazing." Robin, fresh from training, wasn't the least bit intimidated by this threat. Back in her CP days, she'd even caught that exceptionally talented boy—now, she simply humored Ace like she was teasing a kitten.
"I'm not a kid! Don't call me 'little Ace'! I'm gonna be the master of the Burning Legion!" The indignant little boy rolled his eyes at her words.
Robin's lips curled into a mischievous grin as she rested her chin on top of his head, pressing against his messy hair: "Mhm~ Little Legion Master, should big sis apologize? I won't call you 'little Ace' anymore, little Ace~"
The aspiring future warlord, about to nod smugly at her first half-sentence, nearly combusted at the second half: "You called me that again! Twice!"
"Hahahaha, Ace is such an idiot!"
Nami and Kino, watching from the side, doubled over laughing, showing absolutely no respect for the future general.
"Stop laughing! What's so funny?!"
The little Ace, still held in Robin's arms, wore an utterly serious expression: "This is the result of my careful planning. I've even prepared my future entrance speech!"
Robin tilted her head but didn't put Ace down, spinning in place as if he were a giant plush toy. She was thoroughly enjoying this leisurely time with family and friends—something she never got to experience at their age.
"Well then, Ace, I'd love to hear your speech," Robin said, unable to hide her grin. Remembering his ridiculously edgy move name earlier, she eagerly awaited an even more explosive reveal of his embarrassing ambitions.
The boy struggled free from her grip and landed on the ground, his face solemn and dignified. He lowered his voice, trying to sound more mature: "Hmph! Face Portgas D. Ace, the Flame King of the Burning Legion~"
"...Surprisingly not bad!" Instead of mocking him, Robin ruffled his messy black hair. "Speaking of Flame King, aside from the Magu Magu no Mi, there is one Devil Fruit that fits the title."
"I know, I know! It's the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi, right?" The little girl who had been watching from a distance quickly raised her hand to answer.
The freckled boy couldn't suppress his excitement. At his age, he idolized the battle-hardened admirals of Marine HQ. Or perhaps, like every boy at some point, he dreamed of becoming a mighty general leading armies: "I'll be just like them, commanding a legion to purge the seas!"
"Yeah! And I'll be like Bellemere and become an amazing Marine! The greatest navigator ever!" Nami puffed out her chest, refusing to be outdone.
"Hm? Then you should join my crew in the future," Ace mused, realizing he couldn't possibly be a one-man army. His disdain for the little traitor instantly shifted to recruitment mode.
The sassy orange-haired girl huffed and rolled her eyes, sticking out her tongue at Ace: "Who was it that just kicked me out of the team, huh?"
"Eh?! Don't hold a grudge! How about I treat you to ice cream later?" Ace scratched his head helplessly, then suddenly had an idea.
"Hmph! You think I'd be swayed by that?" Little Nami crossed her arms, putting on her best "I'm super mad and very hard to appease" act.
The future General Ace cautiously extended two fingers: "How about… two ice creams?"
The aspiring navigator pouted, pretending to ignore him, but peeked slyly with one eye: "Four."
"No way! Gramps doesn't give me that much allowance. Three ice creams, max. Final offer!" Ace's face fell as he frantically counted the coins in his tiny wallet.
"Hmm… fine, I guess. But remember, you owe me a favor~" The scheming little Nami pointed at the boy three years her senior, sealing the deal.
Robin, however, could no longer hold back her laughter, letting out a soft "Pfft!"
"Oh, right! Sister Robin, what do you want to be in the future? Maybe I can recruit you as my strategist, like that 'Deceiver' Vice Admiral Lindemann!" Ace turned to her. This big sister had witnessed every single embarrassing moment of his life from ages one to seven. After some thought, he decided it might be safer to keep the "Marine Librarian" close by.
Robin shrugged and looked up at the massive MARINE insignia towering over Marineford's fortress. For a moment, she recalled Sakazuki's expectations when she first arrived at HQ.
She turned back, a playful smirk on her lips: "Me? I think I'll try becoming the Fleet Admiral."