This ability wasn't like Haki, with structured systems and forms. Devil Fruits were all wildly unique. Each person developed their power in different directions, and thus, the results were never the same.
"Hmm? Someone's coming!"
Ryuuzaki heard footsteps approaching. Without hesitation, he activated Building Door and opened a portal on the side of a large wooden crate. He ducked inside immediately.
'Whew…' Ryuuzaki let out a silent breath.
This was his first field mission, and yeah, he was nervous.
The crate was filled with herbs. Thankfully, it wasn't packed to the brim, he barely had room to squeeze in.
"Quick, check everywhere! I swear I saw someone sneak onto the ship!"
'Crap… Am I busted?'
Ryuuzaki panicked. He had entered the ship using an air-door, slipping in from an alternate dimension.
He shouldn't have been noticed!
Thump-thump-thump!
Multiple sets of footsteps rushed toward the storage hold.
Just then, the crate lid above him swung open, and Ryuuzaki froze.
A face peered in.
A familiar face.
Ryuuzaki blinked. 'Wait, isn't that Nico Robin?!'
Robin seemed surprised too, clearly not expecting someone already hiding inside.
But she didn't have time to process it, hearing footsteps behind her, she bit her lip and jumped inside the crate, slamming the lid shut.
The space inside was tiny. With both of them crammed in, it got seriously cramped.
And Robin kept shifting around.
"Stop moving, will you?"
"Shh, don't talk." Robin's cold hand clamped over Ryuuzaki's mouth.
She clearly had experience. After squeezing in, she quickly grabbed some herbs from the bottom and spread them over their heads like camouflage.
"Anything?" someone asked from outside.
"Nah, nothing here."
"No way, I saw someone sneak aboard!"
"You sure you weren't seeing things?"
"Check the medicine crates."
"Ugh, what a pain!"
Thump, thump, clatter.
Boxes being opened. Lids being flipped.
Eventually, someone opened the crate they were hiding in.
The crewman peeked inside, just a bunch of herbs.
He closed it again without a second thought.
"All clear. No one here."
"You sure?"
"You definitely imagined it."
"…Fine. Maybe I was wrong."
Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Ryuuzaki felt incredibly awkward.
The crate was tiny, he and Robin were pressed body-to-body.
Everywhere.
And it was winter.
Ryuuzaki didn't mind. His training made him used to cold weather.
Robin, on the other hand, was shivering. She clung to him like a personal heater and showed no signs of letting go.
Eventually, the ship started moving.
Inside the crate, the atmosphere turned… complicated.
Ryuuzaki was only six. Robin, three years older, was nine. But the awkward tension was still very real.
After a while, Robin carefully shifted the lid and peeked outside.
Nobody around.
She moved the herbs aside and helped Ryuuzaki poke his head out too.
"Don't stay inside too long, or you'll suffocate," she warned gently.
"It's warm in here."
Robin rolled her eyes. 'No wonder you feel like a furnace.'
"Wanna keep cuddling? I'm very warm."
Robin's cheeks flushed. "W-Who wants to cuddle you? It was just… an emergency!"
Ryuuzaki didn't respond. He simply smiled and pulled her gently into his arms again.
He may have been shorter than Robin, but protecting her wasn't a problem.
Robin didn't resist. Her body was still trembling.
This heater… felt too good to let go.
And so, the two of them lay in silence for a good four hours.
It wasn't that they didn't want to talk.
Robin had fallen asleep.
Nico Robin.
Survivor of Ohara.
Bounty: 79 million berries.
If Ryuuzaki handed her over to the Navy or the World Government, he'd be a hero. A decorated asset.
But…
'Nah.'
'I'm not the kind of man who'd hand over a girl to some creepy old Navy dudes.'
Besides, Ryuuzaki didn't feel loyal to the World Government, not blindly, anyway.
"Mmnh…" Robin stirred, yawning softly and blinking awake.
In truth, this was probably the most peaceful sleep she'd had in ages.
But as she opened her eyes and remembered where she was, her face went crimson.
She had cried in her sleep, leaving a damp patch on Ryuuzaki's chest.
Worse… there was drool.
Even worse than that?
She really, really had to pee.
But she was too embarrassed to say anything.
She squirmed, clamping her legs together, her face beet red.
"…Why are you moving again?"
"I… I need to… um…"
"…You need to pee?"
Robin nodded quickly.
"I'll step out. You can go. I'll come back after."
"No! What if you get caught?"
"I'll be fine. I'm smart. And I want to check out the ship anyway."
With that, Ryuuzaki carefully climbed out of the crate and tiptoed out of the storage room.
Once out of sight, he opened an Air Door and slipped into his personal subspace.
From inside, he could still see out, but since the ship was moving, he had to keep pace to stay connected.
Eventually, he found an empty room.
Looked more like an office than a bedroom.
Ryuuzaki had claimed he wanted to scout the ship.
Truthfully, he was hoping to find clothes for Robin.
He did find some, but they were too large.
'Ugh… I'm no tailor. Can't exactly resize these.'
Then something caught his eye.
A thick, fur-lined black cloak, hanging on the wall.
'Perfect.'
He grabbed it without hesitation.
Next stop: the kitchen.
He swiped a few loaves of bread.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter