Night.
After finishing her work, Robin left Rain Dinners through the back door as usual.
As the vice president of Baroque Works, Robin's real name was known only to Crocodile; to others she was simply called Miss All Sunday.
To keep the plan from going awry, Robin rarely showed her face in Rain Dinners, and only a few people had access to her.
After leaving the casino, she wore a violet veil over her face on purpose.
"Yo… Miss Robin, care to have a chat?"
That night, just as Robin left Rain Dinners to return to her place in Rainbase, a voice suddenly reached her ears.
Before she could look toward the sound, a hand rested on her fragrant shoulder. A figure slightly shorter than her had appeared at her side without her—whose vigilance was normally razor-sharp—noticing at all.
Whether it was his speed or hearing her true name that startled her, Robin's pupils tightened. Without hesitation she crossed her arms in front of her chest: "Hana Hana: Eight-Fold Clutch!"
Petals bloomed from nothing and brushed across Karl's body.
Eight arms sprouted on Karl, seizing his neck, arms, and legs, trying to bend him backward and snap his spine, robbing him of movement.
But a second later, the expression beneath Robin's veil changed again.
The feel from those eight hands told her she was gripping something harder than steel.
Even bending with full force, she couldn't move him in the slightest.
"Can we talk now?"
Ignoring Robin's attack, Karl's palm on her shoulder pressed lightly. Robin felt as if control of her body had been taken; she wanted to flee, yet her feet were fixed by an invisible force and wouldn't move an inch.
Realizing she was facing someone she couldn't resist, Robin studied Karl closely, then a dim despair flickered in her eyes. She nodded with a bitter smile. "Of course, Dragon Knight."
"Impressive. You recognized me at a glance," Karl praised sincerely.
"After all, you've appeared in the World Economy News twice—a supernova among bounty hunters."
Robin said slowly, "The first time you made the paper, Baroque Works sent people to recruit you, but we couldn't find you. The second time I saw the news you were at the Sabaody Archipelago at the end of the first half of the Grand Line… Why show up here now, and for me?"
For my bounty?
That seems unlikely…
Calming herself, Robin judged that a mere seventy-nine million belli wasn't worth dragging Karl from Sabaody to Rainbase to capture her.
If the intel wasn't wrong, the pirates Karl hunted at Sabaody totaled several hundred million.
So appearing here suddenly, recognizing her and approaching—what for?
"I did come here on business."
Karl didn't know her line of thought, but seeing how calm she remained, he appreciated her all the more and grinned. "But it seems I've found something new."
Just as Robin thought Karl had caught her on a whim and she'd simply had bad luck tonight, Karl suddenly said, "Be my companion, Nico Robin."
"…Eh?"
Robin stared for several seconds before a question mark might as well have popped over her head.
Gazing blankly at Karl, she felt as if her hearing had failed her.
"Isn't it strange—a bounty hunter inviting a wanted criminal to join him?"
Seeing through her thoughts, Karl asked with a smile.
"It is."
Robin, recovered, nodded.
"Because I'm the same as you—a kindred spirit," Karl said meaningfully.
Me?
The other one—does he mean the Barrier-Barrier Fruit user?
Images of Karl's first appearance in the World Economy News—where Carina had stolen the spotlight—flashed through Robin's mind.
"Then what's your choice?" Karl didn't explain further and asked directly.
Robin glanced at the hand on her shoulder and smiled bitterly. "Do I have a choice?"
"Hahaha… No."
Karl laughed, slipped an arm around her, and said familiarly, "Then, I'll be in your care from now on, Robin-nee."
"Likewise, captain… little brother."
Robin slipped into the role quickly, a skill honed by countless betrayals.
In his eyes, she was merely betraying Crocodile to save her life.
If Crocodile discovered it and came after Karl, she could still be the vice president of Baroque Works—so long as Karl didn't turn her in for the bounty.
For Robin, betrayal and allegiance were everyday fare.
Her life was that heartbreakingly cruel.
Branded a monster since childhood, everyone who was kind to her after she turned eight had died.
Compared to Nami—who also began stealing at eight—at least Nami had a sister and villagers who cared in secret.
Karl and Carina had each other.
Robin had nothing.
Even Aokiji, who watched her from afar, was a nightmare that woke her in countless nights.
Karl also knew Robin hadn't joined his crew with a true heart, and he didn't mind.
As he'd said—he and Robin were kindred spirits.
Once Robin was aboard, Carina and Nami would make her feel that resonance.
Finding true companions, she would become the Robin who was willing to sacrifice herself for her crew.
Robin's blending into Karl's crew was only a matter of time.
With the first objective accomplished, Karl took Robin toward the second destination—the capital, Alubarna.
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I have published a new novel. You can check it out on my profile. The title is:
Naruto: I'm an Uchiha, But My System Wants Me to Revive the Senju
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