Almost the instant Nami finished speaking, a tall figure slowly approached from the direction of the cemetery.
He wore a green eye mask, a white suit vest over a dark blue shirt, and a Marine justice coat draped over his back. This person was none other than...
"Ao... Aokiji!"
Robin's voice trembled as she uttered the name.
"Aokiji?"
Karina and Nami were slightly stunned, then the former's eyes widened as she exclaimed in shock, "Isn't that the name of a Marine Admiral?"
Hearing the words "Marine Admiral," Nami gripped her golden staff even tighter.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
At that moment, Yami suddenly put an arm around Robin's shoulder, comforting her with a gentle smile. "Have you forgotten what I said last time? You can rely on me completely."
Yami's words were like a ray of sunshine, warming Robin who felt as if she were in an ice cellar, and dispelling the fear in her heart.
Looking at Yami's smiling face, and at Karina and Nami who showed no fear despite learning their enemy was a Marine Admiral, a warm current once again surged in Robin's eyes, turning into a thin mist.
"Yes!"
Robin nodded forcefully, a smile returning to her face.
"Ara ra... to stumble upon such an exciting battle here, and to see someone who shouldn't be here."
Just then, Aokiji's mood-dampening words once again reached their ears.
Aokiji scratched his head and looked at Robin, asking, "Nico Robin, do you remember my warning from all those years ago?"
"..."
Robin fell silent for a moment.
Of course, she remembered Aokiji's warning. After all, he had been her nightmare for so many years.
Back then, Aokiji had killed Saul, but because of Saul's last words, he chose to let Robin go.
But as he let her go, Aokiji warned Robin not to be happy just because her life was spared. He told her to live a low-key life from then on, and that if she ever made a single mistake, he would be the first one to arrest her.
This warning could be understood as: if Robin lived a quiet life and remained unknown, she would be safe.
But if she became famous and stepped onto the world stage again, then no one could protect her.
Of course, the warning had other meanings.
But regardless of which interpretation, the initial meaning was the same.
A low profile ensures survival; a high profile leads to trouble.
For over a decade, Robin had been very obedient, living a quiet life. No pictures of her as an adult had ever been taken, and the image on her bounty poster remained the one from her childhood.
Except for a select few, basically no one knew that Robin was the "Demon Child."
But now, Robin had clearly ended her low-key life.
Her companions were too powerful. Just a single maid, a user of the legendary Rumble-Rumble Fruit, had nearly defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria.
A crew like this would sooner or later become famous throughout the world.
As a member of this crew, Nico Robin would certainly re-enter the public eye.
So, Robin's current situation was tantamount to ignoring Aokiji's warning.
"One of the Marine Headquarters' top combatants. I've long heard of your great name."
Before Robin could speak, Yami stepped in front of the three women, looking directly at Aokiji and smiling. "Although I don't know what's between you and my little secretary, could you please not look at my people with such a terrifying gaze?"
Hearing this, Aokiji shifted his gaze to Yami and remarked, "Young man, you're quite impressive, to actually have a user of the Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit as your maid. I'm truly envious."
"But..."
His tone paused slightly, and Aokiji's eyes suddenly sharpened as he stared intently at Yami. "Someone of your caliber, why have you remained unknown until now?"
Faced with the deathly stare of a Marine Admiral, even a pirate with a bounty of a hundred million would be scared to the point of their legs trembling.
But Yami showed no fear, retorting with a smile, "Perhaps it's because I like to keep a low profile and not cause trouble."
"If you don't cause trouble, you shouldn't have recruited Nico Robin."
Aokiji finally made his probing offer. "You don't have a bounty. If you hand over Nico Robin now, I can pretend I didn't see anything."
"Sorry, but I refuse."
Yami's immediate reply filled Robin's heart with warmth and also made Aokiji nod inwardly in approval.
It seemed Nico Robin had indeed found a good captain.
Now, he wondered about this captain's caliber.
At this, Aokiji scratched his head in frustration and said helplessly, "Since it's come to this, as a Marine Admiral, I cannot let the wanted Nico Robin go, nor the people who defeated my colleague."
The Seven Warlords of the Sea are an organization under the World Government, one of the three great powers of the Grand Line alongside the Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors. They are also, on the surface, colleagues of the CP organizations and the Marines.
"You want a fight? That's perfect. I've never fought an Admiral before."
Yami first grinned with fighting spirit, then turned to the three women. "Nami, Karina, take Robin to find Perona, then head back to the ship and leave. I'll meet up with you after I'm done here."
"Yes, Master."
Nami and Karina nodded obediently.
Robin said softly, "Aokiji has the Logia-type Ice-Ice Fruit. BOSS, you have to be careful."
"Don't worry. You know my abilities and my strength," Yami said with a confident smile.
With that, the three women said no more and ran towards the castle.
They were indeed full of confidence in Yami's strength.
If Robin wasn't confident enough in Yami's power, she would never have left. She would have stood forward and sacrificed herself, just like in the original story.
But now, Robin did no such thing.
Because she believed in Yami's strength. With two great escape abilities, the Paramecia Door-Door Fruit and the Paramecia More-More Fruit, even if Yami couldn't beat Aokiji, he could easily escape.
If she stayed here, she would only hold Yami back.
So, leaving now was the best choice.
"Ara ra... I can't just let my target slip away right in front of me."
Watching the three women leave, Aokiji's body suddenly began to emit a chilling air that could freeze anything. He raised his hand, about to use his fruit ability.
"Black Hole!"
Just then, Yami's voice reached Aokiji's ears.
An irresistible gravitational force, like an invisible hand, grabbed Aokiji off the ground and pulled him towards Yami.
A black hole, the size of a bowling ball, had appeared in Yami's hand.
Such a small black hole, yet it made Aokiji feel a fatal threat.
Both his Observation Haki and his instincts as a powerful fighter told him that if he were touched by that black hole, he would be either dead or crippled!
And that was indeed the truth!
Because this black hole wasn't the simple Dark Water amplification he'd conceived in a flash of insight back in Alabasta. It was a new technique named Black Hole, which Yami had created after a month of special training, combining the properties of the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit and the Paramecia More-More Fruit.
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