On the deck, a gentle breeze stirred as a handsome man and beautiful woman faced each other in the dim light. They appeared well-matched.
Little did anyone know, Robin wished she could stab Noyer to death right now. Years lurking in the dark world had forged her heart into something cold and hard. But she had never felt such a strong urge to kill.
She couldn't understand why a man she'd just met could accurately state everything about her. For her, the best way to stay safe was to make anyone who knew her secrets disappear.
Watching the wariness grow in her eyes, Noyer smiled helplessly, "Stop glaring. You can't kill me."
Of course she understood she was no match for him. If she could take care of him, she would have already — for her own safety.
Robin smiled again, but this time her smile was noticeably colder and more hostile.
She said softly, "You know so much — you must have ulterior motives. Why are you looking for Crocodile? Or… are you looking for me?"
Noyer saw through her probing, "No need to beat around the bush. I came for you. But don't worry — I know you can read ancient scripts, but I have zero interest in that."
This was the truth. He had no curiosity about the Poneglyphs or the Void Century. Apart from the World Government, only schemers and the ambitious cared about Robin's identity.
But she didn't believe him. After countless betrayals, she would never trust empty words.
Still, she didn't show her doubt. Robin asked with feigned confusion, "If not for that, then what are you after?"
Noyer straightened up and looked directly into her eyes, "I want you to become my companion."
Robin looked at those eyes that seemed sketched with ink, and surprisingly saw sincerity in them.
…And gentleness?
For some reason, Robin found herself half-believing him. She asked hesitantly, "What's in it for you? What do I gain? You know, hiding under Crocodile's protection, I'm quite safe."
Noyer shook his head, "What you care about isn't your own safety. You're cooperating with Crocodile simply because he's also searching for a Poneglyph. Your goals happen to align."
Robin fell silent.
From a certain perspective, he was right. Though she could hide under a Warlord's protection, her special identity would eventually be discovered. And even without that protection, she had been hiding for years — the sea was vast. As long as she stayed careful, it would be hard for anyone to capture her.
She followed Crocodile only because she learned there was a Poneglyph in Arabasta. This was the closest Robin had come to one in all these years!
This was her last hope for her dream. She didn't want to give up!
Noyer saw her resolve wavering and struck while the iron was hot, "Don't you want to go out to sea to fulfill your dream and find more history?"
Robin snorted coldly, "I've searched for so many years and only found this one lead. You think you can do better?"
{T/N: She had found a poneglyph in her youth, but none that actualy leads to something of signficance like the one in Ohara (Great Kingdom's name), for example.}
Having said this, she felt somewhat relieved. By speaking openly, she was admitting Noyer's earlier deductions and acknowledging her identity.
This was the first time in years she had spoken her true thoughts so openly.
Robin leaned back in her chair and gently caressed the cover of an ancient book, "This is my only chance — perhaps my last — to see real history. So I'm sorry, Mr. Noyer, I…"
"You don't need to answer right away." Noyer interrupted her confidently, "Then let me help you find that Poneglyph in Arabasta first."
Robin looked at him with surprise, "You? Forget it. Though your strength is decent, you're no match for Crocodile."
Noyer said defiantly, "How do you know without trying? It'll be a piece of cake."
Robin shook her head, clearly unconvinced.
Thinking back, this man seemed to know a lot of intelligence…
She looked at him hesitantly, "Is the Poneglyph in Arabasta really about the ancient weapon Pluton?"
Noyer nodded calmly, "It should be."
Robin's eyes dimmed. What she wanted to decipher was the Poneglyph about the Void Century — the lost hundred years of history.
After opening up, the atmosphere between them became much more harmonious, and the system's voice finally rang out.
『 Ding! Host has Befriended the Important Figure "Devil Child" Nico Robin! Rewards: Universal Talent Copy Card ×1, Special Whitening Serum ×10! 』
Seeing the bottles of cosmetics the system rewarded him with, Noyer was dumbfounded.
WTF? Why did meeting Robin reward him with whitening serum? Was he supposed to give it to her?
Noyer sneaked a glance at her. Well… wheat-colored skin that many would consider tan. Though it didn't affect her looks, fair skin would match his preferences better, right?
Just as he was hesitating whether to give it to Robin, Mr. 2 suddenly ran out and broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Oh! Little Noyer, what are you two doing?" Bentham asked in a high-pitched voice while dancing ballet.
Hearing his voice, Noyer's eyes lit up. Right — there was still something he hadn't done.
He ran up to him and draped his arm over his shoulder, "Nothing much, just chatting."
Taking advantage of the contact, Noyer quietly pulled out the Copy Card from the system and placed it on him.
『 Ding!〔 Devil's Dwelling · Mane-Mane [Blue/3rd Rank] 〕has been Copied! 』
Noyer withdrew his hand with satisfaction.
Some Devil Fruits had poor attack power but explosive functionality. The Clone-Clone Fruit had no offensive capability, but for assassination, infiltration, framing, peeping at women's baths…
Ahem… that last one doesn't count.
For those things, it was divine assistance. The more Noyer thought about it, the more excited he became, until he threw his head back and laughed out loud.
Mr. 2, whose shoulder he was holding, asked in confusion, "Little Noyer, what are you laughing at?"
Noyer suppressed his laughter and spouted nonsense, "I'm celebrating that I met you, my friend!"
Hearing this, Mr. 2 also became happy. He waved his hand with feigned shyness and laughed loudly, "Oh you! You flatter me, my friend! Hahaha!"
And so, for some reason, the two men stood on the deck in broad daylight laughing wildly like lunatics.
Robin watched them quietly, then deadpanned, "Like two monkeys laughing stupidly."
"Hahahaha — hic…"
The laughter stopped abruptly as Noyer and Bentham froze in place. Shut down by one remark, they finally fell silent.
Robin sighed in relief, finally able to read in peace.
As she lowered her head, something on Noyer caught her eye — a pendant engraved with his name that he'd worn since childhood.
Robin's mind jolted. She'd seen a necklace like that somewhere before.
When was it? Right — before Ohara's destruction, she'd seen something similar in a book.
She asked urgently, "Excuse me, Mr. Noyer, what's your full name?"
Caught off guard, Noyer answered reflexively, "Kilros D. Noyer."
Robin sank into her childhood memories. Kilros and D — both keywords matched perfectly with the book she'd read as a child.
Noyer looked at her questioningly, but she seemed lost in thought and said nothing more. With no other choice, he followed Mr. 2 back into the ship to eat.
A long while later, Robin emerged from her thoughts, the corners of her mouth curving slightly upward. If her suspicions were correct, Noyer might truly be the same kind of person as herself.
◇◆◈◆◇
With something weighing on her mind, Robin kept to herself during the next few days of travel, and Noyer didn't chat much with her.
Soon, Mr. 2 delivered him to the borders of Arabasta.
In the vast desert of endless yellow sand, Noyer changed into desert traveler's clothing. In both his past and present life, this was his first time in a desert.
He sidled up to Robin and asked curiously, "Cute Robin-chan, is Crocodile really going to expose his identity and meet me in person?"
Robin frowned, "Of course not. He'll communicate with you through a Den Den Mushi. Also, can you change how you address me?"
Noyer thought for a moment and tried tentatively, "Great beauty?"
"I get it, change it."
"Little treasure?"
"Change it!"
"Nico-nico-nii?"
Robin glared at him, "Call me by my code name here. Knowing my identity won't help you."
Noyer shrugged, "It's fine. I'm not afraid of the Warlords."
Robin nodded weakly. She had no energy left to explain the Warlords' power. Perhaps he really was that strong…
While traveling, she recalled what Noyer had told her on the ship.
"The Poneglyph recording Pluton is hidden in the underground burial chamber beneath the royal palace — the Tomb of the Kings."
Robin didn't know how Noyer knew this. Even after years of infiltration, she and Crocodile hadn't discovered this top-secret information.
But she didn't think he was lying. There was no benefit in it for him.
Now that she knew where the Poneglyph was, Robin decided to find a chance to verify his words. And if someone could distract Crocodile in the process…
Robin looked at Noyer, her face expressionless. He noticed her staring, turned his head, flashed his pearly whites, and grinned stupidly.
Uh… Could this guy really stand up to Crocodile?
The journey across the sandy road was uneventful.
After completing his mission, Mr. 2 departed reluctantly. Robin and Noyer wrapped themselves tightly against the sandstorm and walked through the desert for several more days.
Finally, they arrived at a building in the desert.
"Spiders Cafe?" Noyer stared at the sign, "Opening a café in the desert — what genius came up with that idea?"
Robin pushed the door open, "This is just a contact point for Baroque Works' senior agents. It's supposed to be in the middle of nowhere."
They walked inside. Just as Noyer expected, there wasn't a single customer. However, the shopkeeper at the counter was striking.
She wore a revealing crop top and a bandana over wavy blue hair. Behind blue-framed glasses, her eyes were alluring.
Seeing them enter, the shopkeeper smiled, "Welcome back, Miss All Sunday."
Robin nodded, "Paula, get us something to drink."
"No problem."
Paula turned around, walking with a feline stride, swaying her hips exaggeratedly.
Good lord. One step, one wave. Noyer's eyeballs bounced along with each movement.
"Ahem."
Robin cleared her throat lightly. Noyer immediately sat up straight and withdrew his gaze.
A moment later, two cups of coffee arrived at the table. Paula glanced at Noyer with seductive eyes, leaned down with her ample bosom, chuckled softly as she winked, and flirted with him. Then she smiled at Robin, turned around, and swayed her hips as she walked away.
Noyer's eyes followed along…
Robin rolled her eyes.
Once Paula was out of sight, Noyer straightened up, took a sip of coffee with a serious expression, and sighed, "This coffee is really big…"
Robin ignored him. After finishing her coffee, she walked over to Paula and whispered, "I'm going to contact the boss. Keep an eye on him."
Paula nodded and smiled, "No problem."
After giving her instructions, Robin turned the corner and entered a secret room behind the café.
The secret room was sparse — just a large square table holding many Den Den Mushi. Over a dozen blue regular ones, black wiretapping ones, and white anti-wiretapping ones…
Robin expertly picked up a Den Den Mushi marked with "0" and dialed. Its appearance immediately transformed into the expression of a middle-aged, sinister-looking man.
"Did you bring him?"
The Den Den Mushi spoke with Crocodile's expression.
"He's already at the Spiders Cafe." Robin's voice was flat, "His strength far exceeds the senior agents. He's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user."
"Logia?" The Den Den Mushi's expression showed surprise, which quickly turned to delight, "I'm very satisfied with this subordinate."
Robin sneered inwardly, "He's very confident in his own strength. He probably won't become your subordinate easily."
Crocodile's voice dripped with disdain, "Just because he lucked into a Logia Devil Fruit doesn't mean he can act this cocky. I'll make him understand that not all ability users are equal."
Robin said nothing.
Crocodile continued, "Bring him in. I'll have a chat with him."
Robin set down the Den Den Mushi and went outside to get Noyer.
Noyer, who'd been intently watching "balls" outside, followed immediately. Back in the secret room, he picked up the Den Den Mushi, "Moshi moshi?"
A moment later, Crocodile's voice came through, "Is this Noyer?"
"Oh, Croc-san, why are you pinching your voice and trying to sound like a heartthrob?" Noyer said carelessly.
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want more chapters of this novel or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)