Nico Robin

Nico Robin is the archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Appearance
The author has also replied to a fan's question to saying that right now Robin's measurements are as follows:
 * Height: 188cm (6'2"), making her the tallest member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
 * Her 3 measurements are (according to Sanji) B99 W59 H89 (39"-23"-35").

In the 4Kids English dub, she speaks with a vaguely American Southern accent, coinciding with her cowgirl outfit as Ms. All-Sunday.

She often wears revealing clothing and a cowboy hat. Robin also resembles her mother greatly, though her black hair was probably a trait of her father's

Personality
Robin is a mysterious and serious person who appears quiet and reclusive. She was thought by those around her to be cold and mean, but it was proven that she is actually a kind person who always thinks before she acts. She oftentimes only speaks when something interesting or important has happened. She loves to study history, and joins the Straw Hat pirates for comfort and freedom to study and read. She also has a bit of a macabre touch, as she is quick to point out gross or morbid events or facts, often creeping out Nami or Usopp.

Robin often tries to distance herself from other people, even her friends, as she knows that she is bound to leave them sooner or later. For that she rarely calls her comrades by name, and instead uses titles, such as Miss Navigator (Kōkaishi-san, i.e. Nami), Mr. Swordsman (Kenshi-san, i.e. Zoro), Long Nose (Nagahana-kun, i.e. Usopp), etc. However, she calls Luffy by name. She is the only crewmember who is normal-themed and emotionally reserved.

Sanji constantly flirts with Robin, as he does with Nami and was the first member (excluding Luffy) to accept her as one of the crew. He describes her as 'a distant, more mature beauty than Nami,' yet calls her "Robin-chan" (vs. "Nami-san"), which has a "cuter" and more childish aspect.

Robin's personality was influenced by three people in her past: Jaguar D. Saul, her mother Nico Olvia, and Professor Clover. It was professor Clover that made her an archaeologist, it was his research on poneglyphs that sparked her interest in True History. Clover allowed her to read books in his library which sparked her interest in them. It was Olvia who encouraged Robin to flee and live to chase her dreams. Jaguar D. Saul who was Robin's first friend, encouraging Robin to search for her friends, and taught Robin to laugh even if it hurt, which fortified her quiet, shy nature and pleasant smile.

She is in search of the Rio Poneglyph, which contains the details of an unrecorded period in her world's history. This text is believed to have been brought to the last island of the Grand Line, Raftel, by Gold Roger.

Abilities and Powers
Robin ate the Hana Hana no Mi. She can spread body parts from her body, other bodies, and other objects. Usually, when she uses her powers she crosses her arms. Her attacks hinder the enemy, stopping all movement with the upgrowing hands. Although she is very powerful, her spreading body parts can be hit and stretched, causing damage to her real body; this is her weak point. Her powers are also very useful in dangerous situations. She can carry her friends by using feet and hands. So far, hands, feet, ears and eyes are the only body parts she has used in either attacks or other applications. She tends to use her ability to place her foes in painful submission holds.

Her most common attacks are Seis Fleur Twist (Robin twists the foe's upper body around) and Ocho Fleur Flip (Robin uses a pair of arms the knock over the foe backwards, forms a pair of arms on the ground below them, and when the foe lands on it, two more pairs appear at their legs and head and pull them to the ground).

No limit has been given for Robin's powers, but the author, Oda, has jokingly stated that she can only sprout limbs a distance of "200 Hana Hanas" away. Fans often misinterpret this as meaning she can only sprout 200 limbs, but this is false.

Robin is also a skilled archaeologist with a vast knowledge of history and cultures. She is one of the few alive (if not the only one) who can read the language scripted on Phoneglyph tablets, which contain records of ancient history. She taught most of these skills herself through the research in the library of Ohara during her childhood.

Her attacks are a combination of the Spanish, French, and English language. Ex. "Cinco Fleur." Cinco (five in Spanish) refers to the number of arms she blossoms, and fleur is the French word for flower. Some attacks are followed by an English word that further describes the attack's purpose. In the English Dub, the attacks are mostly English, using the word "Floret" instead of Fleur, such as "Eight Floret" or "One Hundred Floret".

Past Story
Nico Robin was born on the island of Ohara, and comes from a family of archaeologists. Her mother, Nico Olvia left to sea to find out the True History when Robin was 2 years old leaving her in the care of her mother's brother, and his wife Ms. Roji. Ms. Roji both verbally and physically abused Robin over menial actions. Ms. Roji has made it obvious time and time again that Robin was not wanted; she is expected to keep out of sight and she is not allowed to participate in family celebrations. Her powers of the Devil Fruit often freaked out or scared the other children, on top of that often she would overhear the conversations of parents telling their children to avoid her at all cost. Her only friends are the scholars at "the Tree of Knowledge", with Professor Clover of the archeology lab, a friend of her mother, trying to take care of her.

At only eight years old, she passed an archeology exam and officially was inducted as a scholar of the tree. However, when she announces that she, like her mother, wants to find out the true, unrecorded history of the world, she gets reproved by Clover who tells her she will get banned from the library if she continues to spy on the other scholars.

Robin ran off crying and headed to the northwest beach of Ohara, where she met the giant Jaguar D. Saul who was washed up on shore. These two became fast friends and Robin continued to visit him for the following four days, while he built his raft. After Saul found out he was on Ohara, he informed Robin about the battleships that were on their way to Ohara to raze it from the earth as they where studying the Phoneglyph.

Nico Olvia had recently escaped from the marine ship and returned to Ohara (with thanks to Saul's efforts). She informed the archaeologists that her colleagues had been killed by the marines. She tells them that the marines were able to infer that Ohara was their homeland based on the items they possessed on the ship, and they were headed towards Ohara, likely to kill them. The archaeologists, however, refused to leave; they wished to continue to protect the tree and the knowledge they had worked so hard to research and procure. When Olvia was warned that CP9 was on shore, Olvia rushed out of the Tree of Knowledge, running past her daughter without notice.

Robin arrived at the Tree of Knowledge, and asked Clover about her mother's whereabouts. As a wanted woman, Olvia wished to cut all ties with her daughter, so that Robin might not be associated with a criminal mother. Doing as Olvia wants, Clover denied that Robin's mother was on the island, but Robin seems skeptical. Clover quickly changed the topic and urged Robin to leave, and not to mention that she is an archaeologist, or she might be arrested too. Robin refused and CP9 busted into the Tree of Knowledge and began searching for the Phoneglyphs.

Outside, agents warn the island's residents to move to the evacuation boat, or be destroyed. Olvia confronted Spandam, the director of CP9 at the time, but was quickly subdued by the brunt force of his agents.

Back at the Tree of Knowledge, all of the archaeologists were arrested and taken outside the tree, and once again Clover urged Robin to escape, but she refuses. Spandine and the rest of CP9 arrived with a gravely wounded Olvia, who instantly recognizes her daughter once her name is spoken. CP9 finds the poneglyph in the basement of the tree, and Sengoku sentences the archaelogists to death by Buster Call. However, Clover begins to speak out, stating his theory on why the government really wants to keep the Lost Century secret. However before Clover can reveal the name the civilzation he spoke of, he is shot point blank and mortally wounded.

Seeing that the battleships have already arrived, Saul rushes off to find Robin. As the attack on Ohara begins, it is discovered that Robin also has the capacity to read Phoneglyphs. As the bombardment begins, Spandine and CP9 make their exit, Robin and Olvia reunite, and shortly afterwards, Saul arrives.

It is then revealed that Saul is a former Marine vice-admiral, and aided Nico Olvia on her escape. Olvia asks Saul to make sure that her daughter is taken safely off the island, and tells Robin that she must continue to live. Robin begs to stay with her mother, but Olivia insists on staying. There is something more that she must do.

Saulo follows Olvia's wish and manages to reach the island's shore. But the marine ships spot him and open fire. Saul retaliates and destroys several ships, at least until Kuzan (later known as Aokiji) appears and fights with Saul. Robin tries to make for the evacuation ship but trying to use her Hana-hana abilities to get aboard frightens the people on board, plus Spandine tells them to not let her on since she claims she is an archaeologist, though this would be fortunate for Robin.

The ship is destroyed by another vice-admiral, Sakazuki, who would later become Admiral Akainu, who does it as a precaution if any archaeologist snuck aboard. This act disgusts both Saul and even Kuzan. Saul tries to get away with Robin but he is frozen by Kuzan's ice power. Before being completely encased, Saul encourages Robin to escape and that her friends are out in the ocean waiting for her. His last act is to laugh as he is frozen, sticking to his philosophy to laugh from his heart even in bad times.

Back at the Tree of Knowledge, Olvia, Clover and the other scholars have tossed out as many books into the ocean as they can so future generations can find them. They then realize there's nothing more they can do and stay in the tree as it burns around them. Olvia apologizes to Robin for not leaving any parting words as a mother.

Robin runs to the raft that Saul built, only to be met by Kuzan. He tells her he's letting Robin go, curious of why Saul risked his life for her. However Kuzan warns her that he will be the first to come after Robin if she tries anything. Robin then leaves on a boat guided by an ice path Kuzan sets for her. Remembering Saul's words, she tries to laugh but weeps as Ohara is burned to the ground. Apparently she is the only survivor.

Afterwards, Robin lead a hard life on the run thanks to a bounty placed on her by Spandine (the story of her sinking six warships was nothing more then a fabricated lie to cover up the truth of Ohara from the public). She runs into different people who would befriend her, but would always try to turn her into the government for the bounty on her head once they found out. Though Robin would always manage to escape each time, she would, however, have a hard time trusting people.

Present Story
Robin first appears as "Miss All Sunday" ("Miss Sunday" in the English anime), agent and vice-president of the Baroque Works organization, at the end of the Whiskey Peak arc. She was responsible for blowing up Igaram's decoy ship, though Igaram survived, which apparently was her intention. She met the Straw Hat Pirates and offered them an Eternal Pose to Nanimonai Island, however, Luffy broke it, saying that he would not allow her to decide their destination. Princess Vivi revealed that it was Miss All Sunday who allowed her to discover the identity of Baroque Works' president, Sir Crocodile.

Throughout the Baroque Works Saga, it becomes apparent that Robin does not care about Baroque Works, as she continually and discreetly helps Luffy and his crew succeed in defeating Crocodile. In one instance she saves Luffy's life and gets Pell (whom she earlier attacked) to help him. In the end she betrays Crocodile by lying to him about the Phoneglyphs he wanted her to decipher for him. She fails to assassinate him, and is in turn stabbed by Crocodile. She is left for dead, only to be saved (against her will) by Luffy. Robin then stows away on the Going Merry, much to the surprise of the Straw Hats when they return to their ship. Robin tells Luffy that since he saved her life when she wanted to die, he has to let her join him on his ship.

After the Davy Back Fight arc, she is confronted by Aokiji, one of the three Admirals. Aokiji frightens Robin as he reveals to the crew a little of Nico Robin's dark past, emphasizing that every organization she has joined has been wiped out, leaving her as the only survivor. Aokiji then freezes Nico Robin with his Hie Hie no Mi (chill-chill fruit) powers, almost killing her but for the quick help of her crew.

Later in the Water 7 arc Robin disappears in the city. It then turns out that she is working with a government organization called CP9, and had betrayed the Straw Hat Pirates. Under CP9's orders, she attempts to assassinate the mayor of Water 7, Iceburg, framing Luffy and the others for the crime. However, her "betrayal" was actually part of a deal she made with CP9: They promised to leave the Straw Hats alone if she willingly turned herself over to the government and helped to resurrect the fabled weapon, the ancient ship Pluton. Luffy and the others find out about this, however, and the current storyline sees them mounting a rescue attempt, at first on the sea trains leaving Water 7 and later on the government island of Enies Lobby.

When Robin reveals her fears of being abandoned by the Straw Hats because of the danger of being close to her, Luffy ordered Sogeking to burn the World Government flag. This is Luffy's way of showing Robin that he and the Straw Hats would never abandon her--if the World Government is her enemy, then they are the Straw Hats' enemy too. Luffy then encouraged Robin to say that she wants to live, which she did, shouting out across Enies Lobby that she wanted to go to sea with them again. Despite the Buster Call being called to deal with the Straw Hats, they all manage to successfully escape and Robin has apparently gotten over her past, as she joined the rest in fending off the Buster Call's attacks.

Chapter 430: With the Going Merry, everyone has managed to escape Enies Lobby safely. However, after escaping, Iceburg arrives in a Galley-La just in time to pick up the Strawhat Pirates as the Merry suddenly breaks apart. Luffy then gives the Going Merry a viking funeral by burning it as the crew tearfully says goodbye.

2 days later, Robin is celebrating at Water 7 with her friends and those who helped her escape Enies Lobby. While standing alone and smiling, away from the celebration, she is greeted by a familiar voice. It is Aokiji, who is hiding behind the wall she is leaning against. He tells her that he let her go 20 years ago only because Saul had been his friend and that this whole Enies Lobby event was to end everything after seeing her still floating in the world like a timebomb waiting to go off. Then Aokiji asks if she has found a home with the Straw Hats, and after she says that she has, he left saying that Ohara isn't fully destroyed yet, presumably meaning that the memory and purpose of Ohara lives on within her.

According to the recently released Chapter 435, Robin's bounty is increased to 80 Million, with a new picture. The increase is very small in comparison to the rest of the crew (with the exception of Chopper). In chapter 437, Robin uses her powers to help 'persuade' Franky to join the crew. (by crushing Franky's testicles) This rather painful display of her abilities shocks even the other Straw Hats (so much that Luffy said he wants Franky to join as a man). She just smiles and says that they are pirates, and when they find a large treasure, they grab onto it and don't let go.

Current Events (Spoilers)
After sailing for some time on the Thousand Sunny, Robin and the rest of the crew came across a mysterious barrel floating on the ocean. Upon opening it, a flash shot up from it. Suspecting that it maybe a homming beacon of some sort, Robin asked the rest of the crew to get ready. After braving a storm that mysteriously came afterwards, Robin and the rest of the crew found themselves in the pressence of a ghost ship.

This ship apparently belonged to a skeleton named Brook who through by chance initially accepted Luffy's offer to join the crew. This skeleton explained over diner that he was once a pirate that ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi. Brook also explained that his shadow was stolen by someone. The later information seemed to spark an interest in Robin. Just as Brook was about to perform before Robin and the rest of the crew, a ghost appeared and some clanking sounds were heard. These sounds were caused by the gates of the island that suddenly appeared, Thriller Bark, closing. These events prompted Brook to head to the island before Robin and the rest of the Straw Hats' eyes.

With Luffy's resolve to go to the island, Robin decided to join also with the response that she likes thrills. After witnessing Franky's present to the Straw Hats, Robin and the rest of the Straw Hats decided to look for Nami, Usopp, and Chopper who had not returned. However before Robin and the rest could go to the island, they were stopped by an invisible thing. This thing licked her from top to bottom and left Robin and the rest baffled.

After the Thousand Sunny got caught in what was apparently a spider web, Robin and the rest descended to the island. There they met the Cerberus which Robin found cute. After Luffy tamed the beast, Robin and the rest met two more of the island's creatures.

Major Battles

 * Robin vs. Pell
 * Robin vs. Tashigi
 * Robin vs. Sir Crocodile
 * Robin vs. Yama
 * Robin vs. Spandam

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