Luffy's Kenbunshoku Haki locked onto the approaching presence.
"My, my, how perceptive."
A voice sounded, followed by the emergence of a tall, mature woman.
Dark, short hair. Pale skin. Deep, dark eyes. She wore a retro-style cowboy hat and exuded an air of maturity, both mysterious and slightly dangerous.
"Who are you?"
Luffy was puzzled. This woman had hidden herself very well; without Kenbunshoku Haki, she truly wouldn't have been discovered.
Nico Robin was also somewhat surprised. She hadn't planned to reveal herself this early. Her childhood experiences had maxed out her skill points in this area, yet Luffy had detected her. This made her view the straw-hat-wearing boy in a new light.
"You may call me by my code name." Nico Robin wore an enchanting smile. "The princess over there should know it well."
"Miss All Sunday!!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Vivi's face changed dramatically, and she shouted angrily, "Why are you here?!"
"How cold. I'm the one who let you investigate and find the results you wanted."
"But you're also the one who told Crocodile about me and Igaram's identities! Just what are you trying to do, you woman?!"
Robin was unfazed by Vivi's anger, her smile unchanged. "I merely thought it was a bit pitiful that Your Highness worked so hard to infiltrate and investigate, yet never found the key evidence. So I gave you a little helping hand."
She paused, her gaze turning with interest towards Luffy. "Of course, I didn't expect to encounter the recently famous Straw Hat Luffy here. A pleasure to meet you. I am the Vice President of Baroque Works."
Vice President?!
Everyone immediately tensed up.
Zoro and Sanji instantly shifted into combat stances, placing themselves between her and the others.
Robin, however, didn't seem intent on fighting. With a graceful flip of her slender hand, she produced an Eternal Pose from seemingly nowhere and tossed it lightly to Luffy. "Don't be so tense. I have no reason to fight you at the moment. From my perspective, I'd even like to help you."
Luffy caught the pose, looking at her with a puzzling expression. "What do you mean?"
"The next island your Log Pose points to is Little Garden, correct?"
Robin explained elegantly. "Following the normal route, you'd need to fill the magnetic charge there before heading to the next island. However, that wastes too much time. Moreover, Little Garden is a dangerous place. For you, it might very well lead to your demise.
So, change your course. This Eternal Pose contains a route only I know, one that can safely and quickly take you to Alabasta."
Crunch!
Before Robin could finish speaking, Luffy crushed the Eternal Pose without hesitation.
"Where this ship goes is decided by me, the captain."
The captain is the one who gives the orders.
Otherwise, why would Luffy be the captain?
"Is that so?" The smile on Robin's face froze. Her narrowed eyes flashed with a hint of surprise and a subtle playfulness as she spoke:
"In that case, there's nothing more to be done. We'll meet again in Alabasta then."
Luffy called out to stop her. "I still don't know if you're an enemy or not. But since you're here, don't think you can leave so easily."
What was that phrase again?
Letting the tiger return to the mountain, right?
He wasn't just a reckless brawler anymore.
Since he'd decided to declare war on Baroque Works, capturing a Vice President first would be a significant victory.
"Oh? You want to capture me first? Don't let appearances fool you; I'm a Devil Fruit user as well." Robin stopped walking, turning her head halfway with that composed smile reappearing on her face.
"Is that so?" Luffy gave a noncommittal response to her words.
This time, Robin's smile wasn't as bright. Her expression was somewhat stiff.
Because, at some point, Luffy had already appeared right behind her. Wisps of steam emanated from his body, and one hand rested casually on her shoulder.
The warmth from that palm and the terrifying power contained within it made Robin's hair stand on end instantly. Her body's instinct screamed at her—Don't move!
Move a single muscle, and you will die!
Robin sensed no goodwill from Luffy.
This near-death sense of oppression was something she hadn't experienced in a very long time.
"You intrigue me more and more."
Robin took a deep breath, slowly relaxing her body, a meaningful smile appearing on her face. "Since the invitation is so hard to refuse, I suppose I'll stay."
...
Inside the girls' room on the Going Merry, the atmosphere was momentarily stagnant.
Thud!
With a whoosh, a long staff came whirling, then landed firmly on the floor with a sound.
Nami held her Clima-Tact, her eyes sharp as she stared at the woman before her.
"Miss All Sunday, just what are you after? Explain yourself. You're our prisoner now."
The one addressed, Nico Robin, sat on a small stool that had been brought in, holding a cup of steaming hot tea. The misty steam softened her somewhat sharp outline.
She gently blew on it, took a sip, and only then looked up at the highly alert Nami, a meaningful radian curling at the corner of her lips.
"Rather than that, why are you siding with the woman who just came aboard?"
"Obviously! Why on earth would I side with you?"
"It's for the money, isn't it?"
Nami was dumbfounded. Had she been that obvious? Or could Nico Robin read minds? She had just voiced Nami's exact thoughts aloud.
That sentence instantly struck the little thief cat's most sensitive nerve.
But—
"Who says that?!"
Nami stood her ground, retorting with gritted teeth. "Don't go spouting nonsense here."
"Alabasta is currently in the midst of a civil war. King Cobra has likely exhausted the national treasury to stabilize the situation and provide relief to the victims. Princess Vivi is probably poorer than I am. If you wish, I have plenty of gold and silver jewelry on me."
Robin took another sip of tea, her voice carrying a lazy, magnetic tone. "I truly have no interest in such things myself."
Nami's eyes almost instantly completed the conversion, her pupils turning into Beri symbols (¥), her breathing subconsciously quickening.
She hadn't expected Nico Robin to so precisely pinpoint her fatal weakness. This woman was terrifying!
How could she see through Nami's greatest weakness at a glance?! And this method of directly offering money—no, gold and silver jewelry—as temptation was simply, utterly despicable!
Nami's eyes alternated between normal and golden coins as she wrestled with the choice. "I refuse!"
"Truly don't want it?"
Robin made as if to remove the pair of earrings from her ears, which gleamed with an extraordinary luster.
Nami, with intense inner struggle, her facial expression unpredictable.
She abruptly reached out, pulling the still somewhat confused Vivi to her side, and with forced composure shouted at Robin, "Stop bewitching people here! Who wants your jewelry? Vivi can give me more than you can."
Although the words sounded somewhat lacking in confidence.
Vivi also looked awkward.
She was probably even poorer than Nami imagined.
***
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