Suddenly, Vladimir spoke, "Someone's coming."
After saying that, he let out a "poof" and dispersed into a black mist, vanishing.
Nico Robin's expression stiffened, and then she heard the sound of a door opening.
A young man in a suit entered. He looked like a thug at first glance.
"Kola, it's your turn to work," the man said sternly. "Someone at the casino won eight million and is planning to run. Go chase the money back."
Hearing this, Nico Robin finally snapped back to reality and quickly put away her dagger. "I understand."
"Hurry up, that person is about to leave!"
The man added a worried reminder, then closed the door and left.
"Hoo…"
Nico Robin breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the man hadn't heard her conversation with Shadow Fiend, otherwise, if the name Nico Robin had been exposed, she would have to keep running.
"Working as muscle in a casino?" Suddenly, Shadow Fiend's voice echoed again, the black mist coalescing into a human form. "Living on the run since you were young?"
Nico Robin jumped in fright. She realized Shadow Fiend had appeared behind her.
"You, you didn't leave!"
She said, her heart pounding, "I won't be easily caught!"
"I told you, I'm not interested in your bounty," Vladimir rolled his eyes. "Let alone 79 million, even 700 million wouldn't interest me enough to capture you. Besides, I'm on bad terms with the Navy."
Nico Robin then remembered that Shadow Fiend had once killed a Celestial Dragon, so his relationship with the Navy was naturally as bad as it could get.
Thinking this, she could only say, "Shadow Fiend, I didn't mean to summon you, and I don't have anyone I want to kill… Can you please leave?"
She decided that as soon as Shadow Fiend left, she would run away.
However, Vladimir clearly saw through her thoughts and immediately chuckled, "This life on the run must be very hard, right?"
"Huh?"
"Want to join our Phantom Organization?" Vladimir grinned. "Of course, just as an outer member. You can help us with some of our trivial matters."
He paused, then added, "Don't worry, as long as you have the Phantom Organization's tag on you, no force in the world will dare to touch you. Celestial Dragons, the Navy, the World Government—none of them."
"Do you know what you're saying?" Nico Robin said, her face full of shock. "The one who put out the bounty on me is the World Government, with over 170 affiliated nations. The ones who want me dead are the world's most powerful forces!"
"So what?"
Vladimir said casually, "Under our Phantom Organization, even a pig is more precious than a Celestial Dragon. The World Government might seem overwhelmingly vast and despair-inducing to you, but to us in the Phantom Organization, it's just so-so."
After hearing this, Nico Robin was speechless for a long time.
This was the first time she had encountered such an organization. Any pirate crew she had met in the past, upon hearing the title "Devil Child," either discarded her like trash or tried to capture her for the bounty.
An organization like the Phantom, which directly ignored the existence of the World Government, was something she had never even heard of, let alone encountered.
"The world is vast, consider it." Vladimir chuckled lightly. "Of course, if you refuse, I'll have to 'humanely' eliminate you. You summoned me here, making me run for nothing, so I'll have to sacrifice you."
He said this in a teasing tone, intending to scare the young girl.
Of course, Vladimir wouldn't actually kill Nico Robin. She was one of the few people left in the world who could read ancient texts.
Vladimir's invitation for her to join as an outer member, handling miscellaneous tasks, was also with the potential goal of using her later.
As the Phantom Organization's influence grew stronger, there would be more trivial matters, and he couldn't possibly handle everything himself. He needed someone who could manage things a bit.
That bald guy wasn't very reliable, but Nico Robin seemed much better.
While he was thinking, Nico Robin was also contemplating.
However, her contemplation was happening with a blank mind, completely stunned by Vladimir's words.
After a long while, she bit her lower lip and said in a low voice.
"As long as I can survive, I'm willing to do anything!"
...
"As long as I can survive, I'm willing~ to do anything!"
Hearing this rather ambiguous statement, Vladimir's expression turned strange.
The way she said it made him sound like a bad guy, though he wasn't exactly a good person.
"I just need you to handle some errands, to help us in the Phantom Organization with some trivial matters."
Vladimir shook his head and said, "Since you wish to be protected by us, I'll give you a test first."
"A test?"
Nico Robin's mouth opened slightly. She knew that some organizations required new members to do something as a token of loyalty.
"Don't worry, it's not difficult."
Vladimir said calmly, "In the first half of the Grand Line, there's a water city called 'Water Seven.' You'll depart from the West Sea and arrive there alive. That will be your test."
"Go to the Grand Line…?"
Nico Robin gritted her teeth. This was no simple task. The owner of the notebook she held was a famous pirate captain in the West Sea. He only entered the Grand Line for half a year before becoming a corpse.
Vladimir didn't bother with further explanation. With a wave of his hand, his body began to slowly dissipate.
"The time limit is one month. No matter what method you use, arriving at Water Seven within a month will be considered passing."
What he needed was a capable and intelligent subordinate, not a nanny.
If she couldn't even accomplish this small task, Vladimir would give up on Nico Robin. There were plenty of other candidates; Nico Robin was just someone he happened to encounter.
Of course, for Vladimir, traveling from the West Sea to Water Seven in a month was effortless. Even for many experts, it was possible to reach it if they focused on traveling.
But for the "Child of the Demon," it was quite challenging.
Taking a deep breath, Nico Robin immediately made her decision. "I understand. I will arrive within a month!"
Although she didn't even know where Water Seven was, she still agreed.
Since it was a test, it was better than being asked to kill someone.
____________________
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