Robin rolled her eyes and said pitifully, voice soft and teasing:
"I didn't want to… but I'm already his…"
"WHAT?!" the crew chorused in shock.
"Damn you, Leo! You actually forced her?!" Sanji roared, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fists. He sprang into the air, foot blazing with rage.
"Die, you scumbag who insults women!"
Bang! Clang!
In the blink of an eye, Sanji was sent flying and collapsed on the deck, dazed and groaning.
Yes… when it came to cunning manipulation, Robin was clearly one step ahead. With just a few well-placed words, she stirred chaos among the Straw Hats. Even though everyone knew how strong Leo was, Sanji still launched himself at him without hesitation.
And the crew—somehow—was already beginning to trust Robin more.
If this continued, Leo would end up branded as some kind of villain who forced a woman onto the crew.
Leo raised an eyebrow, gave Robin a half-lidded look, and finally spoke.
"Alright, alright. I didn't do anything. I saved her from the mausoleum and invited her onto the ship. She's now officially joining us… as an archaeologist."
With that, the first verbal skirmish between Leo and Robin ended in Robin's victory.
Leo's explanation eventually convinced the crew—though somewhat reluctantly.
Sanji quickly recovered from his outburst and transformed into his usual love-struck self, falling over himself to show kindness to Robin.
Chopper, Luffy, and Usopp were completely fascinated by her Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit) abilities, and treated her like an older sister. The way she gently grew extra arms to pet them or hand them snacks made them swoon.
Nami, who had been a bit suspicious at first, completely dropped her guard when Robin brought out a huge bag of glittering gemstones, each more radiant than the last.
Eyes sparkling, Nami grabbed a sapphire in both hands and declared passionately, "Big sister Robin, we're family now!"
Robin's charm was undeniable. By using her intellect and small gifts to appeal to everyone's unique interests, she blended into the Merry's crew with surprising ease.
From that moment forward, the Straw Hat crew had another book-loving member onboard—one who smiled sweetly while holding secrets behind her eyes.
---
After a few uneventful days at sea, Nami found herself a little bored. She glanced over and noticed Robin, sitting calmly beneath a parasol, flipping through one of Leo's ancient, rune-covered books.
Curious, Nami walked over and sat beside her. "Robin, is that Leo's magic book? You can actually read that stuff?"
Robin nodded. "Yes, he gave me a few volumes to translate."
She gestured toward a nearby stack. "That's the pile. But no matter how much I read, this one book never seems to end…"
Nami's eyes lit up. A devious grin spread across her face. "Wait… don't you get dizzy?"
"Dizzy?" Robin tilted her head, genuinely confused. "Why would I?"
"To be honest," Nami said, leaning closer, "that book made me feel like I was going to pass out after just five pages…"
"Hmm? Really?" Robin still looked puzzled.
"Hey… Robin-chan~," Nami said with sugar in her voice, rubbing her hands together. "Can we… make a little deal?"
Before she could finish her scheming, Leo's voice interrupted her sternly.
"No. Absolutely not. At least… not yet."
"Ugh! You stingy jerk!" Nami yelled, startled by his sudden response.
She grabbed the nearest book and chucked it at Leo's head.
He caught it effortlessly, gave her a blank look, and sighed.
Still fuming, Nami punched Sanji—who had offered her a glass of juice at the wrong moment—and stormed into the cabin.
Leo didn't respond. He just turned toward Robin, placed the book back down beside her, and sat next to her.
It wasn't that he didn't want to share the book. The truth was, it had deeper implications.
He remembered his first success with material transformation magic. Overjoyed, he found a deserted island to practice on. Perhaps it was because he had been poor in his past life—but he transformed the entire island into solid gold.
It should have been exhilarating.
But instead, he felt… empty.
Owning the world's greatest treasure meant nothing if he had no one to share it with. The golden island glittered under the sun, but Leo sat motionless in its center, surrounded by wealth yet hollow inside.
Days passed.
He stopped reading. Stopped practicing. He stared into the gold with dead eyes—until a pirate crew stumbled upon the island.
At first, they were overjoyed. A ten-kilometer island of gold would make anyone lose their mind.
Then came betrayal. Greed. Murder. Lust for power.
In the end, only one pirate remained alive. That lone survivor became the new "guardian" of the island, just as Leo had been before him.
The cycle repeated.
Leo snapped back to the present and looked at Robin.
"Well, you've grasped the basic magic patterns now, right?"
Robin nodded and raised her hand. "Yes, but I still don't understand anything beyond physical enhancement types."
Glowing runes appeared across her palm—interweaving layers of power that hummed with energy.
Leo blinked in surprise. "They've completely integrated into you already?"
He took the booklet from her hand, folded it thoughtfully, and handed it back. "That's impressive. Nami's style is different. Everyone's talents manifest uniquely."
"Seems like you've got a natural affinity for physical-type magic patterns."
He stood up and extended a hand toward her.
"Let's test it. Hit me—with everything you've got."
Robin didn't hesitate.
BANG!
A shockwave erupted.
The sea within a fifty-meter radius sank by more than ten meters, dragging the Merry down with it before it bounced back up violently.
---
"What the hell was THAT?!" Nami shouted, running out of the cabin while rubbing a large bump on her forehead.
The ship's sudden lurch had thrown her face-first into the wall.
"Enemy attack!!" Usopp screamed, clinging to Chopper.
The two of them had been fishing and were nearly tossed into the sea.
Zoro was already on alert, sword drawn, eyes darting across the deck. "Where are they?!"
Since leaving Alabasta, they had been attacked by Marines regularly. Zoro barely slept anymore, always tense, always ready.
Luffy stood up excitedly, bouncing with anticipation. "Is it a strong enemy?! Where are they?!"
"Ahem." Leo rubbed his throbbing wrist and coughed. "False alarm. Nothing to worry about. Just… go back to what you were doing."
Everyone turned toward him.
Suspicious.
Slowly, they began surrounding him.
Robin, meanwhile, stood silently to the side with the most innocent expression she could muster. She blinked at Leo sweetly—then turned her face into a glare, pretending like she wasn't involved at all.
Betrayed again.
In the end, Leo had to bribe everyone to escape the wrath of the crew.
He gave Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp a few enchanted toys and mini gadgets that wowed them.
He handed Sanji a crate full of rare ingredients and exotic spices.
Zoro received a bottle of premium sake that made his eyes shine.
Nami? She extorted a massive pile of Baileys from him and walked off humming.
Once satisfied, the crew returned to their usual antics, laughing and chatting as if nothing had happened.
Leo turned toward Robin, hoping for an ounce of sympathy.
What he got instead was a mischievous smile and Robin's back as she walked away.
No words.
Just victory.
She'd done it again.
In the second round of their mind games… Robin won.
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