She stepped back, studying him. "You definitely did something. At first, I thought it was just Nami being Nami—with her emotional outbursts, her inability to come out of her tsundere phase, her first relationship after a lifetime of drought yada yada.
That's why all that corny drama that nami did happened ever since we came to Skypiea." She crossed her arms. "But now I'm revealing all these things to you. You didn't even ask. I didn't need to answer. Yet I was telling you everything like I'd been given some truth serum or something."
Her eyes narrowed further. "It made me reveal more than needed. I got corny too. Completely broke out of my character." She tilted her head. "What did you do?"
Takuya smiled. "As expected of the smartest person in the group. You saw through it."
Robin's expression flickered—a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
Takuya said, "I'd love to see the corny, cringy side of you, but I guess I'll have to wait for that until I pull you onto my bed."
Takuya paused. "But yes. I did something. It's still in a prototype phase. There are some flaws I need to fix. Some more experiments that need to be done before the apparatus of my grand entertainment can come to fruition."
Robin's curiosity deepened. "What was it?"
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand gently cupping her face. "I'll tell you when the time is right."
"Takuya."
"You are far too intelligent to keep asking me questions when you already know that you won't be getting any."
She stared at him. Then she exhaled, shaking her head. "You're not going to budge, are you?"
"Nope."
"And if I keep asking?"
"I'll keep not answering."
She studied him, her eyes narrowing. "How long is this going to last? This corny side of me you brought out? Because I don't plan on staying like this."
He tilted his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Darling, you say you're my favorite wife, and you still don't know that if I've done something, I could also be the only one with the answers?" He paused, letting the words settle. "You could have just kissed me in the most loving way. And I could have fixed it."
Robin blinked. Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"That's—" She stopped. Her face went through several shades of disbelief. "That's the solution? A kiss?"
"To be fair, sex could have cured it too. But I thought you'd feel uncomfortable getting naked out in the open. Plus, I didn't want anyone else seeing you naked, so I went with the kiss."
Robin stared at him. "You're telling me—"
"I said I could have. Not will have. If your kiss was bad, I could have left you like that until it wore off naturally."
Robin's eye twitched. "So if I'd kissed you badly, I'd still be like this?"
"Probably."
She dropped her head into her hands. "I feel like an idiot."
"An adorable idiot."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
She lifted her head, her eyes blazing with frustration and something close to embarrassment. "Please. Never use whatever that was on me again. I don't want to be that vulnerable without warning. I don't want to say things I'm not ready to say. I don't want to—"
She stopped. Took a breath.
"Please," she said, her voice quieter now. "Please, if you love me even one percent of what I love you, don't do that to me again. I want to be vulnerable with you—show you all of me, the good, the bad, the broken, the everything—but it should be because I want to do it willingly. For you. Not because something makes me do it against my will."
Takuya watched her for a moment. His expression softened—just slightly.
"Noted."
She exhaled. "Is that a yes?"
"That's a 'I'll consider it.'"
"Takuya."
"That's the answer you're getting for now."
Before she could argue, he turned and started walking ahead of her.
Robin blinked. "Where are you going? Let me kiss you."
He glanced back, a faint smirk on his lips. "Catch me if you want to."
Robin stared at him for a moment. Then she started running.
She caught up a few seconds later, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop. "Got you."
He didn't respond. Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small notebook and pen. He scribbled something quickly, his expression focused.
Robin frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Taking notes."
"About what?"
He looked up at her, his eyes sharp. "The effect. It's not just emotional. It affects intellect as well."
Robin's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
He gestured at her with the pen. "You could have used your Devil Fruit. You could have sprouted arms from the ground and stopped my legs. You could have wrapped them around my ankles. Instead, you ran after me. Physically. Like a normal person, totally forgetting about the things you have at your disposal."
Robin's face went pale. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"You're saying—"
"I'm saying it affected your cognitive functions as well. I'm going to need to document everything." He flipped the notebook closed. "You'll have to wait until the effects wear off naturally."
Robin's eyes widened. Her hands started trembling. "Takuya... please. Stop this. I don't want to—"
"I need to know the full extent of the side effects."
Her voice cracked. "Please. I don't want to—"
He stepped closer, his voice softer now. "I'm not doing this to hurt you. But if I'm going to use this, I need to know what it does. And that means observing the process."
Her eyes glistened. "You're going to watch me... fall apart?"
"No. Darling definitely not, I'm going to watch you recover. And in return, I'm going to take care of you." He turned around, crouching slightly. "Get on."
"What?"
"Piggyback ride."
She stared at him. "Are you serious?"
"I'm always serious." He glanced back at her. "You're not walking. You're not using your brain. I want you to pay attention. Notice what you're feeling. What shifts you notice in yourself. What changes do you feel in your mind and body. Every detail. Write it down in my notebook if you have to."
Robin's eyes were still wet. Her voice was small. "And then what?"
"Then I use that information to create a cure. So my dear wife doesn't have to cry over something like this again." He waited. "Get on."
She climbed onto his back, her arms wrapping around his neck. Her face pressed against his shoulder. He could feel the wetness of her tears against his skin.
He started walking. Slow. Steady.
"You're mad," she said.
"Nope."
"You're going to use this on me again."
"Probably."
She tightened her grip. "That's not very comforting."
"Good."
She was silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "Can I... can I hug you? Properly? From the front?"
He stopped walking. "You want to hug me."
"Yes. That's my punishment for you. For making me go through this."
He turned, let her slide down, and faced her. His arms opened. She stepped into them, her face pressing against his chest. His arms came around her, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other resting on her back, her legs surrounding his waist.
She didn't cry. But her shoulders shook.
He held her. Slow. Gentle. Patient.
"Better?" he asked.
"Not yet."
"Then I'll keep holding you."
She nodded against his chest. Her hands curled into his shirt. She didn't let go. She stayed pressed against him, her face buried in his chest, her grip firm. He started walking, carrying her weight without complaint.
"You're a terrible husband," she said, her voice muffled.
"I'm not that special."
Robin pulled back just enough to look at him. "Did you just quote yourself?"
"It's a reference. You wouldn't get it."
"Try me."
"You'd lose too many brain cells. I'd rather not be responsible for that."
She stared at him. Then she let out a breath, shaking her head. "You are impossible."
He pulled out the notebook again and scribbled something. Robin glanced at it: "Subject uses repetitive phrases. Nami also prone to same pattern. Need to investigate."
Robin's eye twitched. "You're writing about my speech patterns now?"
"Documentation is important."
"You're insufferable."
"You keep proving my point."
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She had nothing.
"Fine," she said. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to fix this. You're going to give me back my intelligence. And you're not going to test things on me without warning again."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of demands for someone whose cognitive functions are currently compromised."
She tightened her grip around his neck. "I'm your favorite wife. I'm allowed to make demands."
"Noted."
"Was that a yes?"
"That was a 'I heard you.'"
She sighed. "You're exhausting."
"You're still holding on."
She pressed her face against his shoulder. "That's because I don't trust you not to drop me."
"I wouldn't drop you. That would be inconvenient. I'd have to pick you back up. Plus it would be a hindrance when I'll fuck you."
"Are you planning on making a joke out of everything?"
"No, of course not. I'm planning on making everything a joke. There's a difference."
She pulled back, took the notebook from his hand, and started writing.
"Noted," she said. "Now keep walking. I'm not done holding onto you."
"Whatever you say."
He walked. She held on. The clouds drifted around them.
"And after this?" she asked. "What's next?"
He shrugged. "We deal with the god, get the gold, and find a way to make sure we get the best laugh of our lives watching the sky island people wear condoms as protective gear."
Robin's eyebrow rose. "You're not worried about Nami?"
"I'm convinced she's going to wreak havoc. I just need to make sure she doesn't destroy the island before I get what I want."
"Good. Let her have her chaos."
"If you say so."
She let out a breath, her voice quieter now. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For carrying me. For not making me walk. For not... pushing me away."
He stopped walking. Just for a second. Then he started again.
"You're my wife," he said. "I don't need to push you away."
She didn't respond. But her grip loosened just slightly. A sign of trust.
She held onto him in silence, the clouds swirling around them, the sound of his footsteps soft on the white ground.
Robin looked at the notebook in her hand. "I'm going to write about how you're actually decent sometimes."
"Don't. It'll ruin my reputation."
"Too late."
He smirked. "Now you're learning. It seems the effects are wearing off, or you are just smarter than I thought."
The rest of the group watched the scene unfold in various states of bewilderment.
Luffy tilted his head. "Are they playing tag?"
Zoro didn't look up from sharpening his sword. "Looks like it."
"Can I play?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because we're supposed to be heading to Upper Yard."
"But they're playing."
"They're also married. It's different."
Luffy frowned. "That doesn't make sense."
Zoro sighed. "Nothing about this makes sense."
Sanji lit a cigarette, watching the two figures in the distance. He said nothing, his gaze fixed ahead, smoke curling from his lips in slow, deliberate streams.
Gan Fall observed with a knowing look. "Young love. So energetic."
Zoro glanced at him. "You call that love?"
"I call it entertainment."
Luffy started walking. "I'm going ahead."
Zoro sighed. "We're never going to make it to Upper Yard."
Gan Fall adjusted his cape. "We will. Just not in a straight line."
The group moved forward. Sanji followed, still silent, his cigarette burning low.
If my story made you smile even once, that's a win for me. That's what I want to live for—brightening dull days and reminding people that joy still exists. My dream is to keep getting better, to someday become the best storyteller in the world.
If you can support me financially please join my patreon from the fic's bio, cause I don't know why Webnovel doesn't show my patreon link and honestly speaking I really need money. And if you can't it's alright, just adding few words of appreciation and power stones will be enough motivation I need.
Thankyou for choosing my fics to read.
https://patreon.com/EmperorNumix