Inside the hotel room.
Bahr lounged lazily against the headboard, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he exhaled smoke, his face the picture of contentment. Compared to the rocking hard bunk on the ship, the town hotel's plush bed was pure luxury.
Beside him, Nico Robin's cheeks were flushed, her breathing still slightly uneven. She glared at Bahr's satisfied expression and snapped, "Did you swallow gunpowder or something? Taking your anger out like that—how revolting!"
"Revolting?" Bahr arched an eyebrow, glancing at Robin's icy expression before casually slinging an arm around her shoulders. He deliberately leaned closer to tease her, "You seemed to be enjoying yourself just fine earlier. Now that it's over, you call it revolting? What's this—kicking the ladder away after climbing up?"
"Hmph..." Robin gave a cold laugh and deftly pushed his arm away. "Your personality is truly abysmal."
She'd heard about it—Bahr had gotten into a scuffle with some stranger earlier today and apparently came out slightly worse for wear. Naturally, he'd taken his frustration out on her instead.
Bahr shot her a sidelong glance and shrugged. "If you're unhappy, you're free to leave. I'm not stopping you."
This had been agreed upon from the start—Nico Robin would stay under his protection, and in exchange, Bahr had the right to "use" her. Everything had been laid out clearly upfront, with no deception involved.
Robin's lips twitched, momentarily at a loss for words.
Truth be told, setting aside the matter of the Historical Texts, Bahr was plenty strong, didn't restrict her movements, and posed no real threat to her safety. As far as bosses went, he wasn't half bad.
Except when he acted like a complete animal.
Robin took a steadying breath and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "By the way, I picked up some news in town today. They say that 'Knock-Up Stream' appearing near Jaya's waters leads straight to Sky Island. The Straw Hat crew rode the current up to Sky Island."
After hearing about Sky Island from Bahr, she'd kept it in mind and spent her time ashore gathering information—which was how she'd learned about the Straw Hat Boy's activities.
Bahr's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Where'd you hear that?"
Robin caught the odd look in his eyes and came clean immediately. "From a man named Krieg. He said the Straw Hat kid helped him after his gold was stolen. Later, the Straw Hat crew rode the Knock-Up Stream with Krieg's assistance."
Hearing this, the pieces clicked together in Bahr's mind.
Even without Robin's help gathering intel, the Straw Hat kid had still managed to cross paths with Krieg after Bellamy stole his gold. Given the Straw Hats' meddlesome nature, one thing led to another, and the connection was made.
Come to think of it, the whole Sky Island affair had unfolded along this very thread.
Still, for Robin to uncover this information so quickly... Clearly, her two decades on the run from the World Government had honed her intelligence-gathering skills to perfection.
She was a master at this game.
"Whatever, not our business," Bahr said dismissively.
If the Straw Hat kid wanted to go to Sky Island, let him. Bahr couldn't care less. Once they loaded supplies onto the ship tomorrow, they'd set course for Sabaody Archipelago and then onward to the New World!
As for Nami... well, that was up to fate.
Robin, however, had other ideas. She suddenly grabbed Bahr's arm, her eyes burning with urgency. "Can the Knock-Up Stream really take people to Sky Island?"
Bahr gave her a sidelong look and immediately understood what she was thinking. He nodded. "In theory, yes. But it's practically a suicide mission."
The Knock-Up Stream could launch entire islands into the sky—just imagine the force involved. For a wooden ship to ride that current was nothing short of a miracle. Without plot armor, they'd have been smashed to splinters instantly. Calling it a death trap wasn't far off.
Robin's eyes lit up, and she pressed further. "Then aside from the Knock-Up Stream, is there any other way to reach Sky Island?"
Bahr nearly rolled his eyes. "I already told you—the Historical Texts on Sky Island don't have what you're looking for. Why won't you believe me? Must you be so stubborn?"
Robin bit her lower lip, her tone obstinate. "I need to see it for myself."
As an archaeologist, she only trusted what she could verify with her own eyes. Moreover, this would allow her to gauge the truthfulness of Bahr's claims—something vitally important to her.
With this in mind, Robin fixed Bahr with an intense stare. "I remember your ability lets you walk on air. That means you could reach Sky Island directly, couldn't you?"
Hearing this, Bahr's lips curled into a smug grin. "Sky Island's ten thousand meters up. With my abilities, getting there would be child's play."
Thanks to the Space Fruit, ascending to such heights was trivial for him.
Robin's eyes sparkled instantly. She tugged at his arm eagerly. "Boss, could you take me to Sky Island?"
She knew Bahr tended to "exaggerate"—ten thousand meters was no joke, and reaching that altitude couldn't possibly be as easy as he made it sound.
But if he said it, that meant he had a way.
"No." Bahr didn't even lift an eyelid, rejecting her outright as he laced his fingers behind his head lazily. "We're heading to Sabaody Archipelago. No time for detours."
Robin stared at his infuriating face, biting her lip before suddenly swinging a leg over to straddle him. Looking down at him, she declared, "If I satisfy you tonight, you'll take me to Sky Island."
By now, she'd thoroughly figured out Bahr's temperament—as long as she was willing to pay the "price," he was actually more accommodating than anyone.
For the sake of the Historical Texts, she was prepared to go all in.
Bahr's eyelids twitched. Seeing the determination in Robin's eyes, he chuckled. "Then give it your best shot. If you can satisfy me, I might just agree."
It was just a trip to Sky Island—hardly a major inconvenience. He simply pitied Robin's stubbornness and wanted to indulge her this once.
After all, he was nothing if not "magnanimous."
The corner of Robin's mouth twitched slightly. Just as she'd thought—this animal had never intended to play fair!
But having said her piece, she didn't waste words. Tossing her black hair back, she boldly displayed her figure before him, then leaned down to press against his neck.
As a single petal drifted down, an arm materialized out of thin air, unerringly finding Bahr's weak spot... Ever since that first "compromise" in the royal tomb, Robin's boundaries had receded like an ebbing tide, each time further than the last.
Having crossed that most humiliating threshold, these subsequent "transactions" had become almost routine.
Bahr reclined comfortably, arms pillowing his head as he watched Robin's performance with keen interest, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips. The Flower-Flower Fruit really was a handy ability!
Getting this bookish archaeologist to "take the initiative" like this—now that was a satisfying achievement!
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