Since Nico Robin's arrival, unfamiliar faces began appearing in town.
Even the usually scarce Marines were now frequently seen patrolling.
Clearly, they were searching for Robin.
Back at the café, Robin, dressed in a maid outfit with cat ears and a fake tail, was serving customers.
"Kawaii!" Shao Feng swallowed hard, eyeing the alluring Robin.
Her perfect curves, accentuated by the tight maid outfit, and those cat ears…
"Good grief, was she born to seduce men?" he thought, stunned.
"Hey, our boss is back!" Robin swept him into a hug, her chest pressing against his face.
"Mmph…" Her feminine scent and soft touch sent a jolt through his body.
He pushed her away.
Ever since Robin caught him staring at her naked body during her treatment two days ago, she'd been teasing him like this.
If he weren't stuck in a 12-year-old body, he'd show her the consequences of playing with fire. For now, he dodged to avoid temptation…
"What, you don't like it? You were pretty excited playing with my body back then," Robin teased ambiguously.
The café's patrons shot murderous glares at Shao Feng.
"No way! That was healing!" he protested, blushing, returning their glares fiercely.
Sensing his anger, the crowd averted their eyes…
Robin smiled, intrigued, watching him.
What kind of power did this boy have to silence rowdy pirates without them daring to meet his gaze?
Dropping his scowl, Shao Feng admitted he didn't entirely mind Robin's teasing—he even enjoyed it a bit.
But in front of a crowd of men, it was too much.
Sighing, he stepped out of the café.
As he left, the place erupted into noise again…
Spotting the Marines in town, he smirked. "Bet you'd never guess Robin's hiding in plain sight as a maid." Stretching, he looked at the sky. Nice weather—time for his side job.
After waiting half a day in the woods, not a single target showed up, souring his mood.
As the last sunlight faded, he sighed.
Wasted day.
He sprinted back toward town…
Entering, he noticed something off. Usually, townsfolk greeted him, but now they avoided his gaze.
His heart sank—had something happened to An and the others?
He raced to the café.
It was brightly lit but eerily quiet.
Pushing open the door, he found the place in shambles, as if it had been ransacked.
His mood, already bad, worsened.
Suppressing his anger, he scanned the room. It was filled with soldiers—not Marines, judging by their uniforms. His mind flashed to the "prince" he'd robbed. Could it be…
"You're finally back," an angry female voice called. A girl in a princess dress descended from the second floor.
Seeing her face, Shao Feng gasped, "You're a woman?"
"You…" The princess flushed, catching his skeptical look. She grabbed a chair and hurled it at him, shouting, "Don't look at me like that! I'm a real woman!"
Dodging the chair, Shao Feng nodded awkwardly. "Sorry for doubting you." His eyes drifted to her chest. He remembered seeing no chest—was it because of the bandages?
It hit him: the bandages weren't for injuries but to hide her chest.
No need for that, he thought, stifling a laugh…
Seeing his smirk, the princess drew a guard's sword and charged. "I'll kill you!"
"Princess, calm down. Remember our purpose," a guard beside her intervened.
Sighing, the princess sat in a chair handed to her.
"I'm not here to argue about this," she said, composing herself.
"Where are they? How are they?" Shao Feng asked urgently, thinking of An, Shao Xue, and Robin.
"They're detained, of course," she said with a smile.
"That was my doing, not theirs. Why take them?" he demanded.
"It's not about that. I need your help," she said slowly.
"Help? Then why take them?" he asked, confused.
"Simple. Leverage," she smiled.
"Despicable," Shao Feng spat.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who pretends to be injured to rob good Samaritans," she retorted sharply.
"Hmph." Feeling a twinge of guilt, he grunted. "What's the job? If they're harmed, I won't let you off."
Ignoring his threat, she said, "I know you've been to the God's Tomb."
"God's Tomb? What's that?" His heart stirred—did she mean the eerie basin in the forest?
"Don't play dumb. From the treasures you've sold, I know you went to the God's Tomb and came back alive with a haul," she said, stepping closer, staring into his eyes.
"I did visit a place. But I'd advise against going—it's no picnic. Risking your life for treasure isn't worth it," he said, eyeing her and weighing the odds of kidnapping her to free his friends.
"I don't need you to tell me it's dangerous, and you don't need to know my goal. My condition is simple: take me to the God's Tomb. In exchange, I'll forgive what you did to me and keep quiet about you hiding Nico Robin," she said sternly.
"Fine, I'll do it," Shao Feng said reluctantly.
"Really?" she asked, surprised.
"What choice do I have? You've got hostages. Tell your men—if my people are hurt, I won't let you live," he said loudly.
"Relax, our goal is just the God's Tomb. If you cooperate, there's no need to harm them," she replied.
"Then prepare. We leave tomorrow. I'm not going in at night," he said, heading upstairs…