Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

As dusk began to fall over the sea, Uchiha Shiraha's small boat lay moored in the stillness of the rocky bay.

The location was safe and secluded enough. The ship's deck was gently rocking from the waves, and the soft sound of water, carried by the evening breeze, seeped into the open cabin.

The woman named Nico Robin had her eyes downcast. She had expected to be driven away or scolded, but the two people in front of her just smiled and handed her the wine jug.

"Come on, have a drink. This is the first time I've experienced the effects of alcohol."

In fact, during the precarious days in Rukongai, Matsumoto Rangiku never had the chance to drink sake.

During this shopping trip, Uchiha Hakuha bought some alcohol, but unexpectedly, Matsumoto Rangiku fell in love with the feeling of drinking after just one small sip.

"I am a wanted criminal."

Matsumoto Rangiku quietly approached her and patted her on the back: "Wanted? What's the reason?"

Nicole Robin slowly raised her eyes, a faint glimmer of moisture appearing in them, but no tears fell. She calmly recounted those unbearable past events, as if telling someone else's story.

"I have no family since I was a child. My hometown was destroyed by war, and my only relative left when I was very young."

"Because of my Devil Fruit ability, the world regards me as a monster, as an ominous person."

"They are afraid of my abilities, they reject me, drive me away, and some even want to capture me and exploit my abilities."

Nico Robin paused, her fingertips gently stroking the hem of her skirt, as if touching the scars of the past.

"I could only keep running, from one island to another, from being chased by one group to being watched by another."

"Without a fixed place to live, without anyone to trust, sometimes we could only hide in the cabins of ships or caves, and survive on wild fruits and dry food."

She looked up at the sea outside the cabin; the twilight was deep, much like those dark and hopeless days of escape.

"This time was no different. I ran into the people who were trying to arrest me again, and I had no choice but to run away for my life, which is why I was in such a sorry state just now."

She spoke calmly, but a deep-seated loneliness and helplessness permeated the cramped cabin.

There were no hysterical accusations, no tearful complaints, only a calm acceptance that comes with experience, which is all the more heartbreaking.

Rangiku listened quietly, her languid expression gradually fading, her eyes filled with heartache.

She raised her hand and gently stroked Nico Robin's hair, her voice incredibly soft: "What a pitiful girl, she looks only a little younger than me, yet she's been through so much."

Bai Yu remained standing at the hatch, silent. He already knew who this woman, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, was, and he also knew that she didn't trust either of them and that what she said was only half true.

However, Uchiha Hakuba didn't care at all. She was Nico Robin, a key figure in the world, and her personality and character were very suitable to be a companion.

"Come and have something to eat together in the cabin."

Uchiha Hakuba smiled and said to the two of them.

Nico Robin held the flask, the warmth from her fingertips spreading through her heart.

In fact, she had never told strangers about these past events, not even these half-true and half-false ones. But now, facing two complete strangers and this strange trust, she suddenly felt that those heavy pains seemed to have lessened a bit.

My name is Matsumoto Rangiku.

Ranju waved her hand and pointed at Bai Yu.

"He is Uchiha Baiyu, a very reserved and eccentric captain."

Bai Yu nodded slightly, his eyes now transformed into rotating Sharingan.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Bai Yu had long since used genjutsu and Sharingan genjutsu as if they were second nature.

From the very first moment of contact, the Sharingan's genjutsu had already been used on Nico Robin, though it was just a simple hint.

Its effect is nothing more than a simple suggestion that makes others feel that they can be trusted.

"I don't recall ever seeing eyes like these in any historical documents I've read."

Looking at Uchiha Shiroha's unique tomoe eyes, Nico Robin wondered if she had forgotten something; such special bloodlines should be recorded.

"As you can see, I possess a special bloodline and the power of a Devil Fruit. Therefore, I am currently unknown, but sooner or later I will become a thorn in the side of the World Government."

Nico Robin nodded silently. Having grown up in Ohara, she knew from the age of eight what kind of indescribable entity the World Government truly was.

Ten years have passed, and she still says she lives in that fear.

The next half hour became a rare moment of leisure for Nico Robin.

Matsumoto Rangiku leaned back in her deck chair, drinking as Robin recounted the ruins and ancient texts of various places, occasionally interjecting with a few strange tales she had heard in Rukongai.

Bai Yu sat silently to the side, holding a piece of wood in his hand, skillfully polishing it with his fingertips. Suddenly, he felt that he couldn't be so lazy and it was time to prepare the next puppet.

"Tsk, the sake is all gone." Rangiku shook the empty sake bottle, somewhat annoyed.

"I should have bought more wine on the island earlier. If I had known the wine was this good, I wouldn't have let you buy so little."

Matsumoto Rangiku scratched her head in annoyance, then moved closer to Uchiha Shiraha and said in a coquettish tone, "Shiraha, Shiraha, go get the sake, I don't want to move right now."

This alcoholic is hopeless. Uchiha Shiraha was speechless. He knew this woman loved to drink, but he didn't expect her to become so addicted after only one drink.

"So lazy, don't you see the storage room is just steps away from here?"

"I won't leave, I won't leave..."

Matsumoto Rangiku started acting cute again, making Shiraha exclaim that he couldn't handle it.

Robin's eyes suddenly lit up. He raised his hand and gently tapped the deck, whispering, "Perhaps I can be of help."

As soon as he finished speaking, several slender arms extended from the deck and headed towards the storage room one by one.

"This is..." Rangiku raised an eyebrow, looking at the extra arms that had extended out with great interest.

"Is this your Devil Fruit ability? That's interesting."

Robin smiled a little sheepishly: "The Flower-Flower Fruit allows me to grow arms anywhere."

"Flower-Flower Fruit? It looks more like Hand-Hand Fruit to me."

At this moment, Matsumoto Rangiku wished she also had the power of a Devil Fruit.

Bai Yu glanced at Robin. From the anime he had watched in his previous life, he knew the advantages of Robin's abilities, and she was also a very reliable person in the entire pirate crew.

He didn't say anything, but simply handed over the polished wooden hairpin. The wood was polished smooth and shiny, with simple vine patterns carved on the edges, which perfectly echoed the patterns on Robin's skirt.

"Here you go. I happen to have some extra material left over from carving the doll. Rangiku has short hair, so she doesn't need a hairpin yet."