"Leo, stitch them all up first. I'll go loot the pirate ship."
"Understood, Captain Badak."
Badak didn't hold much hope—small-time pirates rarely had savings. Sure enough, he only found less than a million Belly. However, in the captain's quarters, he spotted Longbeard's bounty poster. "Only 10 million Belly, and he dares to call himself 'Longbeard'? What nerve. The ship, though, isn't bad—quite new."Badak had no idea that the long-bearded man had traded all his treasures for this ship, originally planning to set sail for the Grand Line soon.
Returning to the merchant ship, Badak brought over the remaining pirates from the pirate vessel. Then, he was speechless to find everyone—including the merchant crew and, of course, Nico Robin—stitched to the deck.
Fate truly worked in mysterious ways. Nico Robin just had to be stitched at least once, didn't she?
"Leo, why did you stitch up the non-pirates too? Undo them."
"But Captain, you literally said, 'Stitch them all up,' so I did."
Leo grumbled as he went to remove the stitches.
"Mhm, mhm, the Captain did say that."
Mansherry chimed in, backing Leo up.
"Alright, fine, I wasn't clear enough. That pirate ship looks decent—let's commandeer it."
Badak pointed at the pirate vessel across from them, seeking his two little crewmates' opinions.
"But Captain, you can't even handle a small boat properly. Can you really sail a big ship like that?"
Can you? Really?
Mansherry's innocent tone stabbed straight into Badak's heart.
"See that woman, Mansherry? We'll have her sail the ship. She can sprout multiple hands—no vessel is too big for her to handle."
Badak gestured toward Nico Robin, briefly explaining her abilities.
Leo, who happened to be unstitching Robin at the time, casually remarked, "She's a Devil Fruit user too? But she looks so weak, Captain."
"I am NOT weak!"
Nico Robin, who had seemed unconscious, suddenly opened her eyes. She had regained consciousness a while ago but stayed still, unsure of the situation and unable to move while stitched to the deck. But Leo's comment had provoked her into retorting—especially since Badak seemed interested in recruiting her. She couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
She had realized one thing: the weak could never stand beside her. She had to align herself with the strong. And to her, Badak was exactly that.
"Double Bloom · Tickle."
Two small hands sprouted from Leo's shoulders, tickling him relentlessly until he was rolling on the deck, laughing uncontrollably.
"Alright, that's enough! Leo didn't mean it. I'm Badak. I want to sail freely across the seas. If you agree, join us—your role will be as a teacher, part-time ship handler."
Robin promptly withdrew her ability, stopping the tickling. "What kind of teacher also handles a ship? But… you heard about my background, didn't you? Even knowing that, you'd still take me in?"
"Honestly, your identity is pretty sensitive. But if we grow strong fast enough, trouble won't catch up to us."
"Those are your words, Captain."
At this point, Robin hadn't yet endured the countless betrayals that would later leave her heart in tatters—otherwise, she'd have needed the Sun God's healing touch.
"Leo, stitch up these pirates too. Then we'll set sail. Consider this crew Robin's severance fee."
"Understood, Captain Badak."
Much later, the merchant crew and the pirates gradually woke up.
Seeing the pirates stitched to the deck, the merchants were both shocked and terrified. The pirates' threats only amplified their fear—though thankfully, every last one of them was immobilized by the stitches.Captain Jess examined each of the pirates one by one. After confirming that only the long-bearded man couldn't move while the others were completely immobilized, he finally calmed everyone down. The long-bearded man wasn't just immobile—he had stiffened, having been dead for quite some time.
Before leaving, Badak casually performed last rites for the long-bearded man.
"This must be the work of the Devil Child."
"How terrifying—sewing people onto the deck like that."
"Absolutely horrifying."
Those who had previously targeted Robin were especially shaken, thinking to themselves, If you were this powerful, why didn't you show it earlier?
"Captain, both masts are broken. The sails and masts have fallen into the sea and drifted away."
"What?"
...
"So, you want to go to the Kingdom of Ilusia?"
By now, Badak and the others had already left the previous waters far behind. Robin's abilities were incredibly suited for sailing—just her alone was more efficient than an entire crew of sailors.
"That's right. My family and I were shipwrecked. I gained some power because of it, but I still want to return home and see if they were as fortunate."
This was one of the reasons Badak was returning to the West Blue.
"They must be fine too."
"It's been over half a year. I've already come to terms with it. After this, I plan to explore the West Blue thoroughly while continuing to grow stronger. When the time is right, we'll head to the Grand Line. I promised Leo and the others that I'd definitely find the Golden Land of Shandora and clear Montblanc Noland's name."
"Noland the Liar? Does the Golden Land really exist?"
"It does. I already have some leads."
"Please, you must take me with you. No archaeologist would want to miss out on such a legend."
"Don't worry, I won't leave you behind. What about your wish?"
"Me? I want to continue pursuing history."
Robin stared intently at Badak, afraid he might oppose her.
"I thought so. In my view, history is written by the victors. No matter what kind of historical records exist, there's bound to be distortion. But since it's your wish, I'll definitely help you. Coincidentally, I also know some clues about the Poneglyphs."
"Really? Can you tell me now?"
Badak shook his head. "Both you and I are still too weak right now. Getting involved in this too early will draw the World Government's attention prematurely. 'Build high walls, stockpile provisions, and bide your time before claiming kingship.' That's the gist of it—though the phrasing isn't perfect, you understand, right?"
Robin nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright, it's almost dark. Drop anchor. I'll make dinner, and you do your job—teach Mansherry and Leo properly."
"Captain, I heard you're only nine years old too. You should also receive an education!"
"Fine, you got me, Teacher Robin. After dinner, we'll all have a lesson together."