3 Birthday Gift

The avatar Salia is currently using is that of an adult woman, significantly taller than the young Robin.

Controlling the avatar, she reached out to pat Robin’s head, unable to help but sigh, "Robin, you are just too cute."

"As a reward, could you please try on the bunny uniform I bought for you?" Salia silently produced a camera snail, looking at Nico Robin with anticipation.

One of Salia's hobbies was dressing up beautiful women or handsome men. Before she had transmigrated, she was an avid fan of dress-up games. With so many beautiful people in the world of the Grand Line, she naturally intended to treat herself to some perks whenever the opportunity arose. Of course, dressing others up required the consent of the person involved. If Robin did not agree, she would not force it.

"Huh?" Nico Robin was stunned by this peculiar request from Miss Judith, and she quietly took a few steps back.

In Robin’s heart, Miss Judith had always been a somewhat strange woman. One of her odd behaviors was her penchant for treating Robin like a doll, constantly having her try on various outfits. Yet, as she grew more familiar with Miss Judith, Robin found that repeatedly modeling new styles of clothing for her had become inexplicably embarrassing. She would much rather discuss the terms of their "transaction" than be dressed up like a doll.

Robin had keenly sensed that Miss Judith held an inexplicable fondness for her and was excessively indulgent toward her. Even when she refused Miss Judith’s requests, the woman would only grumble a little and never cause her any harm.

Seeing Robin’s silence, Salia refused to give up and pulled a few more sets from the wardrobe. "How about this one? A soft and cute bear-themed dress?"

Seeing that Robin still made no move, Salia excitedly swapped to another, introducing it with full confidence: "Take a look at this! It’s the exact uniform worn by the super-popular protagonist, Warrior Sora!"

Robin wiped the tear stains from her face and silently activated her Hana Hana no Mi powers, gathering all the clothes Salia had pulled out and returning them to the closet.

"Oh, I knew it," Salia sighed, collapsing onto the bed in disappointment. She found herself missing the Robin she had met when they first arrived. Back then, Robin had been like a timid rabbit, startled by the slightest touch, never daring to refuse any of her requests.

After carefully putting away the birthday gifts she had received, Robin caught sight of Salia’s dejected expression, and her heart sank slightly.

After a moment of contemplation, Robin stood up. She bypassed the numerous books on her shelf and solemnly retrieved a notebook. Turning to face Salia, she said very earnestly, "Miss Judith, this is a partial comparison table between ancient and modern scripts."

For Robin, this past year had been a rare period where she could freely immerse herself in a sea of knowledge without worrying about her livelihood. Before meeting Miss Judith, the luxury of leisurely reading seemed like a distant dream. Having lived under others' roofs since childhood, often suffering discrimination and scolding from relatives, books had become the only solace for her lonely soul.

Robin possessed immense talent. By the age of eight, she had already gained the recognition of the scholars and was favored by Professor Clover; once she mastered the ancient scripts, she stepped into the halls of historical research. As she delved deeper, Robin increasingly realized that her own experiences were but a fleeting moment in the long river of time. The wheels of history rolled forward, never stopping for anyone, yet there were always fragments that were deliberately forgotten or concealed—such as the Void Century.

The absence of this history had ignited a fierce curiosity in Robin; it was as if someone had intentionally erased it. Just as she sought to explore further, Ohara met its destruction. As the "Devil Child" who could decipher Poneglyphs, Robin was hunted by the World Government and forced to live on the run. Through this, she gradually understood that it was the World Government that had erased those hundred years at any cost to cover up their own crimes. They feared that this history would be discovered and did not want the world to know of it. Deciphering this blank history was the very value of her existence.

At first, when Miss Judith suggested the trade of writing a translation table between ancient and modern scripts, Robin had assumed that Miss Judith was also interested in the Void Century and wanted to use her to decipher the Poneglyphs. But as time passed, the perceptive Robin realized that the comparison table seemed to be nothing more than an excuse Miss Judith had invented to look after her. Miss Judith appeared to have no interest in the Void Century at all.

Robin did not know why she had earned Miss Judith’s favor and protection, and she felt both bewildered and grateful. Yet, she felt fortunate to have met her—Miss Judith was the only person who had shown her kindness since the death of Jaguar D. Saul. Thus, even though Miss Judith never brought up the table again, Robin had still done her best to compile a portion of the translations.

"Huh? You actually wrote it?" Salia raised an eyebrow as she looked at the earnest girl.

She was genuinely surprised that Robin had fulfilled their transaction so diligently. After all, she remembered that in the original story, Robin seemed quite perfunctory when working for Crocodile. She had only proposed the deal to lower Robin’s guard; she hadn't actually expected to receive the table. This was an unexpected delight.

However, even with the table, Salia knew herself well enough to know she likely wouldn't bother learning any obscure ancient language. As for the blank history, it was probably just "one of those things." She still remembered how painful it had been to study five thousand years of history in her past life.

Still, perhaps she could use the table as a bargaining chip to swindle those pirates who dreamed of becoming the Pirate King. She recalled that Big Mom and Kaido were both quite interested in Poneglyphs. If the chance arose, selling the table to their pirate crews for a high price wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Alright, just leave it there," Salia mused for a moment, deciding to add one more birthday gift for Robin.

Using her fruit powers, she caused a piece of debris from the Tree of Knowledge to float up, followed by a knife. The two items hovered lightly in mid-air, the blade moving freely according to Salia’s will, reflecting the cold sunlight. The sharp edge carved into the wood, and a wooden bracelet with simple patterns began to emerge.

When the final detail was finished, Salia inspected her handiwork carefully and nodded with satisfaction.

"I really am amazing!" she thought. It looked great.

"Robin, here’s an extra birthday gift for you," Salia said, tossing the freshly carved wooden bracelet to her. "How about we name this bracelet 'True Perfection'?"