Back in the city, Yami followed the map to the kingdom's largest restaurant, booked a private room, and ordered a mountain of dishes.
Once the food arrived, Yami ate as he chatted, introducing Robin: "I'm Yami. These are my maids: the purple-haired one is Carina, the orange-haired one is Nami."
She didn't really need the introduction; seeing the classic maid outfits, Robin could already guess their roles.
But since they would be "companions" from now on, Robin politely introduced herself to the two girls: "Hello, I'm Nico Robin."
Then, watching Yami wolf down food, Robin smiled. "So will I also be your maid from now on?"
Yami swallowed hard and grinned. "No—my secretary from now on."
"I understand, BOSS."
She didn't catch any double meaning and slipped smoothly into her new role, even changing how she addressed him.
"How long have you been here? Are you alone?" Yami asked suddenly.
"I only entered the Grand Line yesterday. And I didn't come in alone—I hid on a pirate ship and had them bring me in," Robin answered frankly.
After so many years, Robin's heart had long been sealed shut.
To open such a heart, you have to warm the water slowly.
When a heart is sealed, a woman trusts no one.
Once it opens, she'll be willing to die for you.
She was a woman cold on the surface yet yearning for warmth.
"Then do you know who on this island has the highest bounty besides you?" Yami continued.
"The highest bounty…" Robin thought for a few seconds, then said slowly, "That should be from the South Blue, the Sawblade Pirates. The captain's bounty is about sixty-eight million berries. He's called 'Sawblade' Poli Breed."
Then she looked curiously at Yami. "BOSS, are you a bounty hunter?"
"Relax. I won't hand you over to the Marines or the World Government."
Yami smiled, reading her thoughts. "I'm not a bounty hunter, though before I was wanted I sometimes moonlighted as one."
"But I'm asking this not to make money. I need someone with a decent bounty to help me find a place."
"I see."
Robin nodded slightly, believing him.
In her experience, no one could seal Devil Fruit abilities.
Or if someone could, such a person wouldn't be a nobody.
And if he were, he'd be an unbelievably low-key monster.
"Eat first. Then we'll go find that 'Sawblade' fellow."
Yami spoke, then went back to devouring the dishes.
The three women ate quietly.
During the meal, Robin noticed the purple-haired girl named Carina glancing at her now and then, as if assessing her.
Whether it was illusion or not, Robin sensed a familiar aura from the girl.
It felt like… the aura of her own kind.
Yami didn't know what Robin was thinking; otherwise he would have smiled and nodded.
Carina and Robin were indeed of a kind.
Or rather, Carina was a lower-spec Robin.
Both were exceptionally clever, both excelled at gathering intelligence.
But compared to Robin, Carina was lacking.
First, in age—Carina was ten years younger.
Second, in experience—Carina had dealt with the weakest-sea riffraff since going to sea, with her worst scrape being captured by treasure hunters.
Robin, by contrast, had been on the run since eight, forced early to witness human darkness. Without her wits, she'd have died; even in sleep she kept half awake.
Hell-difficulty years forged the Robin of today.
For Carina to catch up to Robin would take a long road.
But with Robin's guidance, Carina would grow fast—perhaps surpassing her original path.
Over their time together, Yami had become fully confident in Carina's potential.
After the meal, Yami began the hunt.
With Clairvoyance, X-ray sight, and mind-reading, he quickly found "Sawblade" Poli Breed.
It couldn't be helped—the man's trait was too obvious.
Like the Straw Hat Pirates or the Red-Hair Pirates, and like the Whitebeard and Blackbeard crews, pirate crew names here could be very straightforward.
Poli Breed's signature was an enormous sawblade.
Once he located Poli Breed, Yami immediately set out with the three girls.
Very soon, Robin witnessed a sliver of Yami's power from the sidelines.
Yami stepped into a tavern, then vanished in an instant—reappearing before a three-meter hulk whose seated height rivaled Yami's.
Seizing the drinker's head with one hand, Yami smashed it hard into the floor.
With a single head-to-floor impact, the sixty-eight-million-berry "Sawblade" Poli Breed—an absolute overlord-class menace back in the East Blue—was dispatched.
Then Yami snapped his fingers several times at the pirates at the same table.
In the next beat, those pirates dropped like they'd been shot, screaming as they hit the floor.
Only then did the tavern slowly fall silent.
It was too fast.
From entry to the instant kill, Yami used only a few seconds.
Finishing off the rest took barely a dozen more.
If not for the crack of skull to floor and the sudden screams, the tavern wouldn't even have had time to react.
"Boss, take the blade as compensation."
Hoisting the unconscious Poli Breed, Yami pointed at the nearly man-sized saw leaning against the wall and spoke to the wide-eyed tavern keeper.
Then he left the tavern with Carina and the other two.
"Let's go. We're leaving this place right now."
No sooner had they stepped outside than the corners of Yami's mouth curled in barely contained excitement. The Log Pose hadn't even finished setting, yet he was leaving the island the same day.
Because he couldn't wait to obtain that Devil Fruit.
The third strategic-class Devil Fruit.
And the Devil Fruit most suited to Yami.