The sounds of muskets and cannons rang out.
Mixed in with these sounds of attack was the less obvious sound of breaking bones.
Robin's eyes watched the large ship getting closer and closer as she listened to the explosions coming from far behind her.
She wasn't worried about Cyrus. In her eyes, Cyrus's strength had already reached a level she couldn't even imagine.
Right now, Robin's only thought was to get stronger as quickly as possible.
Strong enough to stay by Cyrus's side without becoming a burden.
The opponents Cyrus would face in the future would surely be formidable.
If she couldn't keep up with him, he might have to divert his attention to protect her in future battles.
The time since she had met Cyrus had been the most relaxed she had felt in over a decade.
And Robin was quite addicted to this sense of ease.
So she wouldn't let it go, not even if she died.
"Revolving Vine!"
After defeating the pirates manning the weapons on the distant ship, Robin raised her right hand and flung it out, countless arms extending from it.
The rope of arms traced a huge arc across the sea, the hand at the end grabbing onto the mast of the large ship opposite them.
Then, Robin was pulled by this vine of arms, skimming across the sea and landing directly on the large ship.
Landing on the deck, Robin turned sideways as two swords slashed down from in front of and behind her.
Crack!
The two pirates who had attacked Robin from behind fell down and went to sleep without a sound, their necks twisted at a severe angle.
"Mil fleur·Hook Claw!"
With her hands crossed, Robin unleashed a move that consumed a lot of stamina.
A large number of arms sprouted from all over the ship.
And now, Robin also realized just how much of a boost Observation Haki gave her.
Before, she had to see a certain area to use her ability, so that her power could affect those places.
But now, with Observation Haki, she no longer needed to see with her own eyes.
In just a moment, with a continuous series of bone-cracking sounds, the ship became incomparably quiet.
Robin lowered her hands and turned to look at the woman standing on the forecastle deck.
She wore a form-fitting purple dance outfit with a white background and red dots, and a red flower was tucked into her hair.
Her style alone set her apart from the others.
Violet stared at Robin, her expression wary.
She hadn't expected this person to have another Devil Fruit user with him. Judging by this ability, it seemed to be a Paramecia type.
"Who are you?" Robin asked, turning to look at the glow of the distant explosions.
"Viola, an assassin in the assassin corps under Trebol, who is under Doflamingo. My codename is Violet."
Violet didn't hide anything, giving a direct answer.
She answered so straightforwardly?
Robin was a little surprised.
Violet was also in a dilemma right now.
It wasn't her intention to make contact with Cyrus.
If it were just her, she could find a way to leave the Donquixote Family right now.
But her family was still in Dressrosa.
If she betrayed them now, her family would surely be killed.
Her father, and her sister's daughter.
But she didn't dare to make a rash move now either.
Violet was not skilled in combat.
Although she had some means thanks to her ability, Robin's attack just now had let Violet know she was no match.
Of course, the most crucial thing was that someone even more formidable was nearby.
Weighing the pros and cons, Violet stood her ground without showing any hostility.
Seeing this, Robin didn't attack again either. She turned and walked to the ship's rail, her eyes on the distant, exploding and burning island.
"This was a trap?" Robin asked.
Violet nodded.
"Yes. Because of Admiral Kizaru and the World Government, Doflamingo changed his original plan. He wants you to attract the attention of the Navy and the World Government."
'Hm?'
Robin was stunned and turned to look at Violet.
"You call Doflamingo by his name directly?"
Robin could tell that Violet held no respect for Doflamingo.
She hadn't known about the matter of dealing with the Donquixote Family before, but Cyrus had told her a lot about this organization.
That included the reverence Doflamingo's subordinates had for him.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about the Navy Admiral and the World Government?" Violet asked with a frown.
"We already know about that."
Robin was already clear on Cyrus's attitude regarding this matter, so she didn't ask about it now.
"Since you know, then I suggest you'd best not cause too much of a commotion for now."
Violet studied Robin's expression, trying to discern if she was telling the truth.
In fact, if she used her Devil Fruit Ability, she could see through the other person's current thoughts.
However, against someone with Observation Haki, this aspect of her fruit's ability would be affected.
Moreover, in the opponent's eyes, using her ability might be seen as an act of aggression, so Violet didn't use it.
"As for that, I don't have the final say!" Robin said with a wave of her hand, not asking any more questions.
On the distant, burning island.
The armory had been completely destroyed.
Cyrus's Observation Haki completely enveloped the vast sea area around him.
Compared to his impression of other people's Observation Haki, his was all about its massive range.
Or perhaps, it was because he kept it constantly active that his Observation Haki had evolved in this direction.
He saw everything that was happening on the distant ship.
Robin's decisive and swift actions, and the woman in the form-fitting dance outfit on the ship.
"Looks like she's mastering Observation Haki quickly!"
The method Cyrus had used to teach Robin to grasp Observation Haki was actually learned from Koshiro.
It was just that back then, Koshiro had used killing intent to stimulate him.
He had used a different method.
To a certain extent, powerful Observation Haki could influence the thoughts of others.
Previously, Cyrus had used his own Observation Haki to give Robin a strong suggestion.
The result was pretty good.
Of course, it was also because Robin had the aptitude for Observation Haki, and with her training during this period, she was just missing that one little push, that one stimulus.
Below, the exploding and burning island began to sink, and seawater began to pour in, submerging the small island.
Cyrus's body turned into flames and shot into the sky, streaking across it with a long tail of fire.
BOOM!
The fiery light landed on the ship moored on the sea. The flames receded, and Cyrus's body emerged from within them.
The wind from his descent rustled Robin's and Violet's clothes.
"I left one person alive. Maybe she can provide some useful information."
Seeing Cyrus arrive, Robin turned and gestured toward Violet.
Cyrus's eyes swept over Violet.
She was much younger than he remembered.
"Were you the one who left the message before?" Cyrus nodded at Robin, then asked Violet.
A flash of understanding appeared in Robin's eyes.
She had already guessed this possibility from Violet's attitude earlier.