After Kaito finished speaking, he didn't bother saying anything more to Aokiji. He understood Aokiji's personality well—he wasn't the kind of man who would sell him out.
Besides, Kaito wasn't afraid of the World Government at all anymore. What he said just now was only meant to plant a seed in Aokiji's heart. When the time was right, it would naturally sprout and grow.
He turned to look at Robin again. At this moment, Robin still wore a dazed expression, her mind clearly not yet caught up with what he had said.
Kaito waved his hand in front of her face, and once she snapped back to reality, he asked,
"You probably can't stay here anymore. Do you have any plans?"
Robin pursed her lips and cautiously asked,
"I wonder what Admiral Shikiryū wants me to do?"
After confirming Kaito's attitude toward the World Government, Robin felt a strange sense of trust in him. As she asked this, she looked at Kaito with a hopeful expression, clearly wanting to know what he had planned for her.
Aokiji, who was still mentally tangled, also instinctively looked up at Kaito. This was just as important for him.
Under the expectant gaze of both of them, Kaito smiled and said,
"You can come with me into the Navy—if you dare."
"...!?"
As soon as he said that, Aokiji was completely thrown off.
He thought to himself,
Even if you hate the World Government, you don't have to provoke them this blatantly!
Just as he was about to say something, Robin suddenly spoke up.
"Alright! I'll go with Admiral Shikiryū!"
"...."
Aokiji's brain buzzed. He couldn't understand the way these people thought anymore.
Seeing Robin agree so decisively, Kaito smiled and extended his hand toward her.
"Then, welcome to the Navy, Devil Child—Robin."
Looking at the hand Kaito offered, a brilliant smile blossomed across Robin's face. She reached out without hesitation and tightly grasped his hand.
In that moment, she felt a sense of security she had never experienced before. Gazing into Kaito's Rinnegan, she whispered softly,
"Then I'll be in your care from now on, Master."
"Master?"
Her choice of words stunned Kaito for a moment. Among the women he knew, some called him boss, some called him "sir," and others just used his name—but none had ever called him "Master."
Oh, well—Modis did, but she was a little black cat!
That title just made him feel weird... like he'd suddenly become some villain with a twisted fetish.
Robin saw Kaito's reaction and couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly. She explained,
"From this moment on, my life is in your hands. Whether I live or die depends entirely on you. Calling you 'Master' gives me a small sense of security—just in case you change your mind."
Her explanation was reasonable, but Kaito still had to push back on the idea of him "changing his mind."
"The word 'regret' doesn't exist in the Uchiha dictionary. Someone who breaks their word doesn't deserve these eyes."
As he spoke, his Rinnegan glowed with a dazzling purple light, clearly displeased at Robin's doubt.
Under the weight of that gaze, Robin immediately lowered her head and apologized sincerely.
"I'm truly sorry, Master. I was overthinking."
Kaito didn't make it hard on her. He understood how tough her years had been—surrounded by schemers who only approached her with hidden agendas. She'd been forced to live a life of constant betrayal and wandering...
He gently helped Robin to her feet and said softly,
"Alright, you can call me whatever you like. From now on, stay by my side. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you."
The moment those words landed, Robin's head jerked up. The emotional impact was clear in her eyes, already welling up with tears.
Kaito gently patted her shoulder and was about to turn to leave when—
Suddenly, a pair of slender arms wrapped tightly around his waist from behind, and he felt Robin press her whole body against his back.
"Thank you... Master!"
Aokiji stared at the scene before him, an inexplicable sourness rising in his heart.
It wasn't that he was jealous—he had no romantic feelings toward Robin. If anything, she was more like a free-roaming daughter he had once tried to guide.
Now it just felt like the daughter he'd raised had been... harvested by Kaito. And that made him feel a bit awkward.
Good thing Kaito wasn't one of those wild teenagers from Earth. If he were, Aokiji might've instantly gone full Akainu mode and delivered Absolute Justice on the spot.
Kaito waited for Robin to calm down before gently pulling her hands away from his waist. He turned around and helped straighten her messy bangs.
This entire sequence made Aokiji's mouth twitch hard twice. Inwardly, he screamed,
You little bastard, huh!? That whole routine was way too smooth! You've clearly done this before!
Of course, Kaito had no idea Aokiji was silently roasting him like that. He leaned in to whisper a few words to Robin, and as she listened, her face lit up again—this time tinged with shyness.
Robin lowered her head in silence for a moment, then suddenly asked,
"Master, what do you plan to do with Crocodile and the others?"
Her expression was dead serious, like she'd fully stepped into the role of Kalifa, reminding Kaito of "official business."
But Kaito knew full well—this was Robin's devious streak coming out. She was afraid he'd forget about Crocodile and clearly wanted to throw that guy under the bus.
Kaito looked helplessly at this scheming side of Robin and muttered inwardly,
Crocodile, you really hired a gem, didn't you?
...
At the Baroque Works headquarters, the top officers had already gathered at the entrance. Crocodile was the last one to walk out of his office.
All of them were carrying various large and small bundles—clearly ready to flee. But strangely, they were all soaking wet.
During the earlier battle between Aokiji and Kaito, they had the misfortune of first getting frozen by Aokiji's Ice Age... and then again by Kaito's Mahāpadma.
Thankfully, both Aokiji and Kaito had good control over their powers. The collateral damage they caused was still within survivable limits.
If either had gone all out, these people wouldn't be merely soaked. They would've been frozen through and through, and even if the abilities were undone, they'd just melt into water along with the ice.
After thawing out, Crocodile didn't say a word. He immediately urged everyone to pack up and get the hell out of this place that clearly wasn't fit for humans.
But just as he was about to lead them away—
Kaito appeared in front of them out of nowhere, with Robin and Aokiji in tow.
"Hey now, where are you all rushing off to?"