20 Years of Misery, All Leading to This

That title might be better saved for the anniversary post this December, but too bad.

The Straw Hats have finally caught up to their imprisoned crewmate. But Nico Robin doesn't want them there, doesn't want to be rescued at all. After 20 years on the run, betrayed at every turn or watching those around her killed, she'd rather die than see it happen to this little pirate crew, and have them die hating her. Luffy, of course, handles this in a delicate and sensitive manner.

Or, maybe not. Volume 41 of One Piece is the Sad Backstory of Nico Robin volume. She lived on the island of Ohara, a land renown for its scholars, her mother among them. Of course, Olvia ditched her when she was 2 to go on some archaeological expedition, leaving Robin in the "wicked stepmother"-like care of the sister-in-law.

(One Piece has a strong core of people pursuing their dreams, but so damn many of them decide to have kids first, then fuck off to be a pirate or an archaeologist or a revolutionary, and leave the kid in the lurch. If you aren't going to raise your damn kid, don't have one!)

Robin made friends with the scholars still on the island, and even passed the exam to become an archaeologist with a perfect score, at age 8. Outstanding! Now she can help them study the mysterious block covered in weird writing they have in the basement!

Oops, she's not supposed to know about that. Much worse than her knowing about it, the World Government knows Ohara's got a Poneglyph. So while Robin's making friends with a giant that washed ashore, the Marines, hot on the trail of the only survivor of that expedition (Olvia), are invading the island. And they're led by the dipshit father of that dipshit Spandam. Once it's confirmed the scholars have a Poneglyph, Dipshit Senior orders a Buster Call, essentially a ship-to-shore bombardment that will level the island, and all the scholars with it. One particular Vice-Admiral, who will grow up to be Fleet Admiral one day, decides to go ahead and kill everyone on the island just to be sure no scholars escape.

(Someone once pointed out, Atomic Age fiction in the U.S. showed radiation producing superheroes, while in Japan it produced Godzilla. The difference between dropping A-bombs and having two dropped on you. So I wonder about the Buster Call being a naval bombardment intended to destroy an entire island, given the amount of firepower the U.S. Navy unleashed on places like Okinawa. Oda's not old enough to remember World War 2, but I'm sure he grew up with people who did. And future-admiral Akainu deciding the only way to be sure the archeologists are stopped is kill everyone on the island sure feels like shades of, "we think the entire nation of Japan will resist an invasion, better wipe out a city to crush any thought of resistance.") 

Robin's giant pal turns out to be Vice-Admiral Saul, who objected to the order and tries to take out the ships bombarding the island. He ends up frozen solid thanks to his friend, Kuzan, who will one day be the pervert Admiral that attacked the Straw Hats back in volume 34. However, Kuzan let Robin go as a favor to Saul (Saul will, hundreds of chapters later, turn out to have survived being turned into an icicle), but not before Dipshit Senior caught sight of her. Which is how an 8-year-old gets a bounty, finds every "decent" person trying to turn her in, and falls in with criminals.

In the present, Spandam has the capability to trigger a Buster Call at the press of a button (courtesy of Kuzan, which tells me Saul needed to pick better friends.) Though in the nature of things will dealing with a nepo-baby who thinks he earned his way to the top, Spandam thinks it'll only target the pirates. Robin knows different, but the idea this moron would get himself and all 10,000 Marines and government agents stationed at Ennies Lobby killed through stupidity is not much comfort. She just wanted to protect the Straw Hats, but they're not interested in saving their lives at the expense of hers. If they have to declare war on the world for her, that's what they'll do.

This act moves Franky to the point he reveals he had the blueprints for the ancient battleship hidden inside his leg, and then burns them. Which means the Government can't get them, but also means there's no way to find a weakness against the battleship if the World Government gets it. Which means the Straw Hats absolutely have to get Robin back.

Then a train crashes through a drawbridge.