Additionally, Ron knew, Nami's raw talent for navigation was truly astonishing.
Although she hadn't yet undergone the tempering and growth from the two years of intensive study that awaited her in the original timeline, her potential was undeniable.
If he could bring her under his wing, provide her with the resources and guidance she'd never had, she would undoubtedly become a priceless asset in the future, capable of navigating the most treacherous and impossible routes in the world.
Thinking this, Ron finally spoke.
His voice was calm, cutting through Nami's desperate sobs, yet it carried an undeniable, absolute authority.
"I can agree to save your companions. But I have one condition."
Nami's head snapped up, her tear-streaked face a mask of disbelief.
A flicker of wild, desperate hope ignited in her eyes.
"What condition? Tell me! I'll do it!"
Ron looked directly into her eyes, his gaze profound and unreadable.
He slowly said, "Sign a contract with me. You will use the rest of your life to repay this debt."
He let the words sink in, heavy and final.
"From this moment on, you will work for me. Your freedom, your future… they will all belong to me."
These words struck Nami's heart like a heavy hammer.
Her body trembled slightly, and a trace of agonized struggle flashed in her eyes.
Hearing this condition, Robin could no longer hold back.
"Nami! Don't!" she shouted, her voice strained. "You can't! You can't sacrifice your entire life for us!"
Usopp, who had managed to push himself onto one elbow, also pleaded urgently.
"Nami! There must be another way! You can't do this! We wouldn't want that!"
However, Nami's gaze, after flickering to her captured friend and her fallen one, gradually grew resolute.
She looked at the captured Robin, then at the unconscious Usopp, and made her decision.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, her voice trembling but unwavering.
"I... agree!"
Tears instantly streamed from Robin's eyes as she shook her head desperately.
"Nami! No! You can't!"
Nami, however, turned to her friend and showed a bitter, heartbreaking smile.
"Robin, this is the only thing I can do. As long as I can save you all, I'm willing to pay any price. My dream... it doesn't matter if yours can come true."
Ron nodded, his expression still calm, as if the transaction of a human soul was a simple, everyday affair.
"Very well."
Then, a single green leaf, plucked from the distant Tree of Covenant by an unseen force, appeared out of thin air in his hand.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the green leaf transformed into a glowing, golden sheet of paper, while its stem hardened and sharpened into an elegant pen.
Ron swiftly wrote the contents of the contract, signed his name, and then handed it to Nami.
"Sign the contract. From now on, you belong to me."
Nami took the paper and pen.
With a final, determined look at Robin, she signed her name without hesitation.
Immediately after, the golden paper and pen burst into two beams of golden light, one sinking into her forehead and the other into Ron's.
The next moment, Nami's eyes widened in shock.
She could clearly feel it—a faint, unbreakable connection, a metaphysical chain linking her to the man in front of her.
Moreover, she had the strong, terrifying feeling that if she ever violated the terms of the contract, she would die instantly.
"What a mysterious ability..." Shiki, who had been watching from the side, couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
In his view, Nami was nothing more than a rookie, full of passion but of no practical value.
The cruelty of the Grand Line was far beyond what a small fry like her could endure.
However, since Ron had already agreed, Shiki naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing.
He still needed Ron's help for his own crew, so showing some initiative would be beneficial.
He turned, his gaze as sharp as a blade, sweeping over the tense members of CP9.
His tone was laced with undisguised, profound contempt and an immediate threat.
"Hey. You rats. Drop Nico Robin and get out of my sight." The playful glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous intent.
"Otherwise, I won't mind adding a few more corpses to this island."
"Rats?" Kalifa's face darkened instantly.
As members of CP9, the elite secret intelligence agency of the World Government, they were proud.
When had they ever been insulted like this? Just as she was about to retort, she suddenly felt an invisible, crushing pressure surge over her.
She felt as if her body was being flattened by an invisible mountain, every bone bearing an immense, groaning pressure.
"That's... Conqueror's Haki!" Kaku gasped, his legs trembling.
The overwhelming aura instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
The CP9 members bore the brunt of it.
They felt as if a massive boulder was pressing down on their chests, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Fine beads of cold sweat popped out on their foreheads.
Their faces turned ashen.
This level of Haki… this was truly the power of someone on par with Whitebeard and Roger.
Lucci gritted his teeth, forcing himself to steady his stance, his eyes fixed intently on Shiki.
'His legs are intact. The rudder is gone. His power…'
All of this indicated that Shiki's strength had, impossibly, been fully restored.
'his old man... has he truly recovered?' Lucci thought, his mind racing, an extreme wariness setting in.
If Shiki was at full power, they stood no chance.
At that moment, Lucci pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and quickly connected to Spandam.
"Lucci! Is the mission complete? Hurry up and bring Nico Robin back!" Spandam's impatient, squeaking voice came through.
Lucci reported in a low, grim voice, "The situation has changed. The Golden Lion Shiki has intervened. His strength appears to be fully recovered. We need to retreat."
"WHAT?! YOU ENCOUNTERED SHIKI?!" Spandam's voice instantly rose three octaves, filled with abject panic.
"RETREAT! RETREAT IMMEDIATELY! DO NOT ENGAGE HIM HEAD-ON! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
Lucci snapped the call shut.
He cast a cold, final glance at Shiki and Ron, then issued the order to his team.
"Retreat."
Though Kalifa, Kaku, and the others were unwilling to fail their mission, they understood the situation was unwinnable.
They quickly released Robin from her restraints and prepared to turn and leave.
"You think you can come and go as you please?"
Ron's voice, quiet and cold, cut through the air.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze as sharp as a blade, coldly watching the CP9 members preparing to retreat.
"You may leave," his voice was low, as if emerging from an abyss.
"But—"
His gaze slowly settled on one member.
On Blueno, the bartender.
"—you stay."
These words struck like a thunderbolt, instantly exploding in the hearts of the CP9 members.
Blueno's face abruptly changed, his body instinctively tensing.
He was bewildered, completely unaware of why Ron would single him out.
"Me?"