HMJ - Chapter 41 (Patreon)

Nico Robin nodded toughly and said, “I can believe that. It could be part of your ability. But it doesn’t answer why you are helping me. It’s clear you know who I am. You know what the World Government is telling the world about me.”

“Hmm, I know the propaganda. But I also know the truth about what really happened on Ohara. In all honesty, I am certain that if the world government knew that I knew the things I know right now, my bounty would become one of the highest in your world. I know probably more about the Void Century, the Poneglyphs, and the One Piece than the Scholars of Ohara.” Harry replied with a smirk.

Her eyes widened at that statement until she realized what he just said in detail: “’Your World’? What is that supposed to mean?”

“Ah, there we are at the crux of the matter." Harry said with a wide smile, “This store is not in another city, or on another island, another island, or even another planet." No, this store is in a completely different dimension or universe. Think of it as an alternate version of your own world, with a completely different history, different laws of nature, or even a path of evolution." Harry explained.

“So we are not in any of the Four Blues? The World Government won’t find me here.” Robin asked, her face bearing a strange expression. Was that Hope?

“The Marines and Cipher Pol won’t be able to follow you here. But I am uncertain if it is impossible for anyone in your world to follow you here without my help. For one, there are devil fruits. To my current level of knowledge, Devil Fruits are manifestations of people's desire for evolution. There could be a search fruit or even a follow fruit out there that would allow people to locate you and even follow you to another universe. I haven’t seen their limits yet, but their powers can be ridiculous." Was Harry’s serious reply.

He didn’t see the end of One Piece in his past life, but he came close and had a lot of background knowledge and even theories.

“And the other reasons? You just implied there was more.” Robin followed up.

"Well, there is science on the other hand. I know that during the Void Century and before you, the world was far more advanced than it is now. They had technologies like teleportation. Dr. Vegapunk has the Brain Brain Fruit in addition to his natural genius, making him the most intelligent person in your world. He is definitely able to replicate such technologies, so maybe it’s possible to travel between worlds. And lastly, there is the World Government, or rather, the Celestial Dragons. The Marines and Cipher Pol are just the tip of the iceberg; the Celestial Dragons, especially their leaders, are far more resourceful than anyone in your world is truly aware. If they truly cared, they could have ended the Great Age of Piracy; instead, they created a balance in the world between marines, pirate emperors, and Shihibukai. Isn’t that a scary thought? What goals do they have that they prefer to keep the world in constant conflict?" The One Piece World was scarily strong for the current him. And in all honesty, Harry knew for sure that at the moment he had not much chance to even survive the first half of the Grand Line.

“I see.” She looked at him for a long moment, her face unreadable, while Lust stood quiet beside him, watching the exchange in interest. “You still didn’t answer why you actually helped me.”

“Because I could. And no, I don’t have some specially heroic traits or go out of my way to help people. I wouldn’t define myself as a good person, but neither would I be an evil one. I am on my own side, as are the people close to me. I didn’t recognize you instantly; it took me a few moments. But I helped you because I didn’t see any harm for me, and you were a connection to a new world." Harry replied honestly.

“And after you recognized me?” Robin asked with an unreadable smile on her face, and her breathing had already been steady for a while.

“How perceptive.” Harry smirked with his reply, “There are a ton of reasons why I am helping you after I knew who you were. First of all, the question that needs answering in the necessary context is: How do I know so much about your world if I am connected to it for the first time? My source of information in large parts is actually yourself, or rather an alternate future version of you.”

“What? Now even time travel?” Robin asked in astonishment.

Harry took a breath. “Nope. I can’t time-travel. The multiverse is big, and everything is possible. The world I am currently living in is not even my own. My original one had a story called One Piece as entertainment, and I learned about your life through that story. And in the future, you uncovered a lot about the Void Century, giving me the information through your character. Can you follow me so far?”

She nodded before asking, “So you know where the Poneglyphs are?”

“Some, I have information on about 14 of them, including the one on Ohara, and some you wouldn’t have discovered on your original journey. But either of us is currently far too weak to reach most of them. The Grandline is not a place to scratch. Anyway, back to the reason why I am helping you: Through reading your story, I know what kind of person you are. Someone I can greatly respect. You had such a hard life, but you didn’t give up and pushed on. You are such a strong character.” Harry stated it passionately.

Meanwhile, Robin's eyes were becoming a bit misty. She hadn’t yet had the level of experience her older self had.

“The multiverse is such a vast place. While your world is quite strong, there are many worlds that are far stronger, with beings that could destroy your whole world with the wave of a hand. And I want to establish myself in such a vast space. For that, I need people I can depend on. People I can trust who are capacity I know you wish for friends, for a place where you belong. So, Nico Robin, I offer you a home. In a place where you no longer have to hide from the World Government, it isn’t worth it for them to attempt to hunt you down here. A place where you can be safe. And in the future, we can discover the truth about the Void Century together. While I know a lot, the end of your story hasn’t been revealed yet. I am not even sure you made it to the end; your bounty reached 930.000.000 Berri at the point I read about. The closer you came to the Rio Poneglyph and Raftel, the desperater they hunted for you.” Harry said, looking directly at Robin.

There was a moment of silence between them.

Even Lust wasn’t commenting. Normally, she would tease them for such a speech.

“I know you have a hard time trusting people with your previous experiences. That’s why I have another safety measure for the two of us. One that will allow us to trust each other. My ability to grant me this store allows me to create contracts for anything, and they can’t be broken. We can both agree that we won’t betray each other. So what do you say, Nico Robin? Do you want to join me on my journey through the multiverse?”

She remained silent for a long moment. It was clear that she was thinking a lot right now. But finally, after a few minutes, she said, “I want to join you. I no longer want to run from the World Government. I want a home. Please help me.”