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Duke reached out his right hand toward Robin, but Nico Robin just stared at him with a complicated expression, showing no emotion.
After a long silence, Kaido fainted.
"I don't have a home anymore!" he shouted.
At first, Nico Robin had believed Duke might really be her father.
But today, does Nico Robin even need a father?
She's long past the age where she needed help from relatives when she was weak and young.
Seeing Nico Robin refuse, Duke wasn't surprised.
The unbreakable blood connection made him and Nico Robin father and daughter.
But the lack of love and companionship from childhood meant that their relationship wasn't close like a real father-daughter bond.
Besides, just a few old memories weren't enough to make Nico Robin fully believe Duke was her father.
Nico Robin's high bounty and her role as the last historian on the seas, who can read the Poneglyphs, have made her a target for many powerful groups.
But Duke wasn't worried. Time would help Nico Robin understand the truth.
Your father is still your father, no matter what.
Everything that makes Nico Robin a target for others means nothing to Duke.
"As long as I'm here, you will always have a home!"
"The Figarland family will always be your strongest support and place to return to!"
Duke looked deeply into Nico Robin's eyes and said with confidence.
With the strength of the Figarland family now, it would be suicide to openly challenge the World Government.
After all, Janna and Chinjao still needed time to grow stronger.
But protecting a "devil's son" and using guerrilla tactics against the World Government was no problem at all.
Nico Robin's ability to read the ancient texts was a threat to the World Government, but it wasn't as big a threat as they thought.
What truly determines power in this world isn't historical secrets—it's pure strength.
Otherwise, when the World Government found out Nico Robin had joined the Straw Hats, they would have sent CP0 to capture and kill her and the crew.
Aokiji's position would have been difficult to use in front of CP0.
"It's no longer safe here with Crocodile," Duke said.
"The spy we just dealt with was probably from CP9."
"Although I killed him quickly, I can't predict when the next spy from the World Government will show up and find your identity."
"Returning to West Blue with me is the safest choice."
Duke continued to persuade her.
But Nico Robin just shook her head slightly, her face expressionless.
She didn't trust Duke enough.
"I know you want to study the Poneglyphs," Duke said.
"Even though I don't care about them at all…"
"But if you want them, I can get you a lot of Poneglyphs soon."
"Even the Poneglyphs marking the four Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Give me some time, and I'll bring them to you."
Duke calmly explained, looking at Nico Robin.
There are four Road Poneglyphs. One is on Zou Island, one is with Gangplank, who now rules all nations, and one is in Kaido's hands in Wano.
The last piece might be on Fish-Man Island or the giant kingdom of Elbaph.
However, apart from the final piece of the Road Poneglyph, which Duke would need some time to confirm and find, getting the other Poneglyphs was not too difficult for him.
Zou and Kaido of the Four Emperors—are they strong?
Duke was very calm when talking about the Poneglyphs.
But when Duke mentioned the ancient texts, Nico Robin's eyes gleamed with interest, and Duke sensed she became even more cautious.
The Poneglyphs and the Road Poneglyphs are some of the most closely guarded secrets in the pirate world.
Even though the Figarland family controls the underground world of West Blue and has ties to Shadowstream Lord Z, the current king of the dark world, these connections alone wouldn't give them the knowledge to fully understand the ancient texts.
Especially not collecting all four Road Poneglyphs.
The last person to gather all four and reach Laugh Tale was Pirate King Gol D. Roger.
Could Duke really be more powerful than Roger?
Was Duke trying to trick her, like Crocodile, into finding these ancient texts and searching for the Ancient Weapons?
Duke's mouth twitched slightly as he noticed Nico Robin's wary expression, though she remained silent.
He truly longed for the warmth of family and felt somewhat fond of Nico Robin as his daughter.
But, how could he coax a grown woman who was already over 20 but still seen as a "188-year-old baby"?
That was a hard question!
Duke and Nico Robin remained silent for a long time. Then Duke sighed deeply.
The plan to take Nico Robin back to West Blue was temporarily abandoned.
It seemed that once a daughter grew up, her father had no real control over her—no matter what world they lived in.
"If you think you'll be safer staying in Alabasta," Duke said, "then stay here for now."
"But please keep Yumi with you. She'll protect you in times of danger and will contact me when needed."
Duke looked at Nico Robin's strong, stubborn figure. Then, he picked up Yumi, the magical cat, who had been lazily circling him.
"Yumi, from now on, you'll protect my daughter."
"Stop thinking about being lazy; there are no rivers for you to fish in here!"
Yumi was a cat who loved to fish and often ran off looking for rivers.
"Let a cat protect me?" Nico Robin said, watching the limp cat in Duke's hand turn into a long, relaxed shape. Her cheeks twitched slightly, and she was about to refuse.
But the next second, Nico Robin's eyes widened in surprise!
"I understand, meow..." Yumi meowed lazily, then transformed into a light and vanished from Duke's hand, instantly entering Nico Robin's body.
"Yumi, do your thing, nya!" Yumi said as she took action.
"Talking cat?"
"Also, such a strange ability?"
"Is it a Zoan Devil Fruit user?"
"Or a mythical beast species?"
Nico Robin was shocked when she felt the sudden increase in strength after Yumi possessed her.
A Phantom Beast species is rarer and more powerful than a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
"Is it really worth sending out a mythical beast just to watch over me?"
"Is he really trying to protect me?"
Nico Robin thought to herself, her expression becoming more and more complicated as she looked at Duke.
"I'm not a mythical beast," Yumi said. "I'm Yumi, a magical cat."
"Meow!"
Before Duke could reply, Yumi's lazy form suddenly appeared on Nico Robin's shoulder.
Yumi, a magical cat with S-level potential, was Yamato's most powerful and reliable bodyguard in the pirate world.
What other bodyguard could stay with their employer 24/7? Yumi could even be worn like a pendant!
"Yumi isn't a Phantom Beast," Duke confirmed. "But its strength is just as powerful as one."
"With Yumi's protection, unless Im attacks you directly, it will at least be able to hold off until backup arrives."
Duke said seriously.
With Duke's teleportation ability and the Card Master's ultimate moves, they could support Yumi anytime.
And if they could one day successfully summon the wandering mage, they would have global support.
Maybe it wouldn't just be Duke and the Card Master, but a whole army.
Nico Robin racked her brain but couldn't think of any cat like Yumi—one that didn't have a Devil Fruit power but still had abilities as strong as a Phantom Beast.
This could only be from a magical race lost in ancient legends.
Maybe a variant of the fur tribe?
But...
"Who is Im?"
Nico Robin felt more and more confused and had a strong sense that there was a huge taboo behind the name Im-sama.
"Oh, Im is just a person who has lived for hundreds of years, hiding behind the World Government and secretly controlling the Empty Throne."
"And he's just someone trying to use the power of Uranus to control the world forever!"
Duke answered calmly.
Lord Im, Duke thought, with enough time and money, he could easily defeat Im. If he didn't, he'd be letting down the system's power.
Nico Robin was completely stunned.
"Is there really such a terrifying figure behind the World Government?"
"But how powerful are my father and the Figarland family, if they can casually reveal the World Government's biggest secret like this?"
"Is the Figarland family really just a mafia family that rules the underground world of West Blue?"