"Lucci speaking. It's me, Bruno."
His expression remained calm as he lowered his voice:
"Unexpected good news. The Devil Child, Nico Robin, suddenly appeared at my bar. She's currently heading to a nearby Vivrecard shop with her companions."
"No leads on Pluton's blueprints yet, but capturing this woman would still count as a major achievement, wouldn't it?"
"You're busy repairing a ship and can't get away? Doesn't matter. I can handle Nico Robin alone... Hmm? You're sending those two? Seems unnecessary... For caution's sake? Understood."
...
About half an hour later.
Robin and her two companions emerged from the Vivrecard shop.
Tucked away in an alley, the store was difficult to find amidst Water 7's complex three-dimensional terrain. They'd split up to ask locals for directions, taking several detours before finally spotting the sign.
The order had been placed, deposit paid.
When the rest of Sunset's crew arrived, they could come directly to have their Vivrecards made.
"Mission accomplished. What now?"
Robin turned to the sisters with a light smile. "I noticed a large bookstore on the way here. I plan to buy some books. What about you two?"
"Ehh—"
Nami drew out her protest. "So boring, Robin! You're always buried in books on the ship, and now you want to dive into more here?"
"No way!"
She grabbed Nojiko's arm. "Nojiko, let's try those Aqua Meatballs we passed earlier! And the Aqua Sausages, Aqua Sponge Cakes... I want them all! Every single one! Those stalls were clustered together, and the smells were driving me crazy!"
Water 7's local snacks were diverse but mostly prefixed with "Aqua," reflecting the citizens' pride in their city.
"Eat, eat, eat—that's all you think about."
Nojiko pinched Nami's nose, feigning annoyance. "Gluttonous and shameless. Big brother spoiled you rotten..."
But even as she complained, she pulled out her wallet, ready to indulge her sister.
"Want us to bring you something, Robin?"
"I..."
"Don't say no! Rare chance to visit a big city—might as well try everything!"
"...Alright."
Robin finally nodded with an amused smile.
She watched her two companions disappear into the distance before turning toward the bookstore, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the setting sun's glare.
How warm the sunlight felt.
...
No one noticed.
At that very moment.
On the orange rooftop above the alley, three figures lurked in the shadows. Like cats in the night, they crouched silently along the edge, observing the trio's separation below.
"Seems they get along well. Even the Devil of Ohara found companions willing to accept her?"
Kalifa adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses coolly. "Though these two seem like nobodies. Either of you recognize them?"
"Hmm, let me think carefully."
Beside him, Kaku's long nose drooped as he pinched his chin, racking his brains to recall:
"That blue-haired girl... I think I've seen her wanted poster somewhere. The orange-haired one, though—no impression at all. Her bounty must be too low to catch my attention."
"Then no need to overthink it. Let's move directly."
In the center, Bruno shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Nico Robin is mine. With my abilities, she won't escape... Given your skills, it should only take a few minutes to subdue those two women. Bring them to me immediately afterward—they can be leverage to make her cooperate."
"Understood."
"No problem."
Kalifa and Kaku nodded calmly in unison.
A few minutes?
That's underestimating us. It'll be over in an instant.
"Though this operation is practically guaranteed."
Bruno pulled out a bundle from his coat and unwrapped it, revealing various disguises and props:
"But Lucci said, for absolute caution, we mustn't expose our identities. So I came prepared before meeting you..."
————
On the outskirts of the bookstore district.
Robin, clad in a black leather trench coat and carrying a backpack, strolled alone along the canals of Water 7. The evening sun cast shimmering reflections on the water, mirroring her relaxed expression.
Just then.
A tall figure draped in a robe, wearing a white mask and wig, brushed past her.
Such attire was commonplace during the ongoing Mask Festival. Robin glanced briefly, paying no mind.
However.
The moment they crossed paths, a low voice—audible only to her—coolly spoke:
"I'm CP9."
Robin's steps halted abruptly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Her first thought was...
—Did the Captain's theft of the Devil Fruit get exposed so soon?
No, that can't be.
If they knew it was the infamous "Xiano," they'd have sent at least an Admiral.
How would a nobody like this dare come knocking?
So...
They're here purely for me?
CP9—the World Government's second-most secretive intelligence division—doesn't know who struck last night, nor whose crew I've joined now?
She turned, intrigued, wanting to scrutinize this foolhardy intruder.
But the figure didn't pause, striding straight into a secluded alleyway nearby.
As if certain she'd follow.
"..."
Robin stood still, massaging her temples with a sigh, momentarily at a loss for words.
In the past.
Fear and despair would've welled up inside her. Since childhood, she'd been in endless hiding, dealing with countless government agencies.
She knew the terror of "CP9" all too well.
But now.
After following Xiano, witnessing grand spectacles, even facing Aokiji head-on—the ominous mystique shrouding this organization had long since faded.
To boldly approach her without even knowing who her current boss is...
Compared to CP0—that far more enigmatic group answering only to the Celestial Dragons—
How amateurish, CP9...
With a sigh, she dialed Nojiko's number, murmuring a few words before leisurely following.
The alley was damp and chilly, with patches of moss growing in the corners.
A stark contrast to the warm, sunlit streets outside bathed in the glow of sunset.
Robin walked slowly, catching up to the burly figure not far ahead.
"How nostalgic," she suddenly spoke, her voice echoing through the narrow passage. "The last time I was 'invited' like this by the CP department was seven years ago in the West Blue."
"Your voice may sound calm, but I can hear the unease and panic in your footsteps."
A faint, eerie voice responded as the towering figure in a checkered cloak and white mask turned to gaze at her indifferently.
"Nico Robin."
Bruno's voice was low and icy. "The last remnant of Ohara, the Devil Child who sank five warships at the age of eight... You should know why we're here without me saying it."
Robin stopped in her tracks.
"Of course."
She studied him quietly for a moment before sighing softly. "So many people in the past have said the same thing to me... You all don't even bother changing your opening lines."
"But what I'm more curious about is this—do you really not know anything? Why, why would you dare come for me?"
Bruno frowned slightly.
This woman's reaction was completely different from what he had expected.
It didn't seem like an act—she genuinely appeared confident, without a trace of fear. Even those light blue eyes of hers...
Held a faint hint of mockery?
According to intel, Nico Robin was supposed to be cautious and timid, haunted by the government's pursuit—a childhood trauma buried deep in her heart.
When had she become like this?
"Hmph, enough with the act."
Bruno took a step forward. "I can guess where your confidence comes from. Did you just call your two companions, hoping they'd rush here to save you?"
"How naive, Nico Robin!"
He glared coldly at the composed black-haired woman before him.
"Do you really think we wouldn't account for that? Your two companions—the orange-haired girl and the blue-haired one—should already be under my colleagues' control by now. Stop hoping for their help. Give up and come with me quietly!"
Here, Bruno deliberately paused, watching for Robin's reaction.
Robin didn't answer. Instead, she smiled faintly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear gracefully, her gaze steady as she regarded him.
"It seems you still don't understand the situation."
Bruno's voice grew darker. "Do you think you can rely on other allies?"
"Don't delude yourself! It doesn't matter how many there are, or who your captain is. Before us, CP9, they're all utterly powerless! You know this perfectly well—or do you want to drag them all to their deaths?"
Even if they were Supernovas with bounties over a hundred million, it meant nothing!
In the first half of the Grand Line, CP9 stood like gods above all, untouchable by mere Pirates!
...
The Captain... powerless before CP9?
Hearing this, Robin blinked, her expression finally shifting to something peculiar.
Those unforgettable scenes left by the black-haired, black-eyed man flashed through her mind like snapshots—from effortlessly defeating the Warlord of the Sea Crocodile and confronting Admiral Akainu, to punching through mountains and tossing giant tyrannosaurs around, to clashing head-on with the legendary Marine hero Garp and earning a staggering one-billion-berry bounty from the enraged World Government...
Could such a man possibly lose to CP9?
"Ara~..."
As if hearing the funniest joke in the world, Robin finally couldn't hold back anymore. At first, she covered her mouth with light giggles, but soon her laughter grew louder and more unrestrained. Eventually, she abandoned all decorum, clutching her stomach as she leaned against the wall, laughing until she could barely breathe.
"Ha... ha, haha, HAHAHAHA~!!!!"
Her uproarious laughter echoed wildly through the alley.
It was as if she was pouring out all the grievances, confusion, and fear accumulated over so many years—dumping them out like trash!
CP departments? The World Government?
How laughable those shadows that once loomed over her head now seemed!
"What's so funny, Nico Robin!"
A chill crept into the gaze hidden behind Bruno's mask:
"I originally felt some sympathy for you, but it seems those reports weren't exaggerated. You truly are a cold-blooded, heartless woman—utterly deranged, with no concern for your comrades. Those two girls who seemed close to you were probably just pawns you were using..."
"Hey, don't go slandering Robin like that."
A lazy girl's voice suddenly interrupted him from behind:
"And what's with assuming we've been defeated already? That's rude—and way too arrogant, don't you think?"
That voice...
Bruno frowned slightly and turned around.
The blue-haired girl had somehow appeared at the alley's entrance, now stretching lazily against the wall. Ignoring Bruno's stare, she casually raised her right arm toward Robin with a cheeky grin and wave:
"Sorry, Robin! We were a bit far away, so it took some time to get here. Hope you didn't wait too long."
It had only been a few minutes. Robin shook her head with an amused smile.
Nojiko finally turned her attention to Bruno, cracking her knuckles with a series of popping sounds as she grinned:
"Anyway, as long as this guy didn't run away, that's what matters. Leave him to me—I'll wrap this up quick, no problem."
She began strolling toward him with casual, unhurried steps.
Wrap this up?
Bruno sneered. However this girl had managed to evade Kaku and Kalifa's pursuit, escaping should've been her greatest fortune. Yet here she was, delivering herself to her doom?
Tch...
Stupid, perhaps—but at least loyal.
You really don't deserve your comrades, Nico Robin!
Watching the rapidly approaching fist fill his vision, his eyes flashed with indifference. What strength could a teenage girl possibly have?
Expressionless, he stood motionless, merely tightening the muscles across his torso.
Iron Body!
The next instant—Nojiko's fist slammed home!
"Ripple Fist · Avalanche!"
Boom——!!!
The moment her fist connected with his chest, Bruno's pupils constricted—something was wrong!
This wasn't right!
That seemingly delicate and slender fist now unleashed a terrifying force akin to a collapsing mountain.
His proud Iron Body defense, which he had honed for years, was as fragile as paper against this overwhelming strength. His sternum immediately emitted the sound of unbearable fracturing, and his entire body was sent flying backward like a cannonball!
"Gah—!"
Bruno spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing weakly into a spiderweb-like crater.
Amid the swirling dust, he trembled as he looked down at his caved-in chest, his face filled with disbelief.
His Iron Body, the technique he had painstakingly trained for years and excelled at...
Had been pierced through with a single punch?!
Just who was this girl?
"Is this all you've got?"
A disappointed voice rang out.
Bruno struggled to lift his head, only to see the blue-haired girl walking toward him with disinterest, shaking her head:
"That long-nosed young man lasted three punches before going down. I thought you, being older, would be a stronger leader. Turns out you couldn't even take one."
What?
Even Kaku had fallen...?
No, impossible.
She must be lying—Kaku was far stronger than him... Bruno's anxious gaze darted around the alley, searching for any sign of Kaku or Kalifa, but—
"Hey, old man, where are you looking? Were you searching for these two?"
A crisp, youthful voice suddenly came from above.
Thud! Thud!
Two dark figures plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground in front of him, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Bruno strained his eyes.
It was Kaku and Kalifa!
Both had their masks removed and were completely unconscious.
Kaku's face was swollen and bruised, his abdomen deeply sunken, his entire body covered in frostbite. Kalifa was in even worse shape—charred black from head to toe, barely recognizable.
"..." Bruno's eyes widened in horror, his jaw slack.
Kaku... Kalifa...
How?!
He knelt there dumbfounded, unable to believe what was happening before him.
But the gruesome state of his comrades, the acrid scent of burning in the air—it all confirmed the brutal reality...
"Pathetically weak. So this is CP9? Just a bunch of small fry who don't even know Haki. With skills like these, you dared to ambush a Logia-type ability user?"
Bruno stiffly raised his head.
There, perched on the wall, sat the youngest of them all—a tangerine-haired girl, swinging her legs leisurely as she looked down at him with a mocking grin:
"That bespectacled woman sure went all out, but seeing her struggle so hard and still fail to hurt me was downright hilarious... Don't you think so, small fry~?