A moment later, in a reception room, Lin Xuan met Nico Robin, who had been waiting there for quite some time.
Seeing her caught him a little off guard.
Nico Robin was dressed in a purple gown, her long black hair cascading down, giving her an air of quiet elegance.
As Lin Xuan took her in, Nico Robin was doing the same to him.
But in that moment, she felt a surge of surprise.
"So this is the man who's repeatedly thwarted the World Government? He's so young!" she thought to herself.
She'd already learned about Lin Xuan from the newspapers, but seeing him in person gave her an entirely different impression.
He looked like the sunny boy next door, making it hard to connect him with the powerhouse who'd left the World Government scrambling.
She quickly snapped out of it, bowing slightly toward Lin Xuan. "President Lin, hello. I'm Nico Robin."
Lin Xuan nodded, and they soon fell into conversation.
Nico Robin had come to join the Ninja Guild, and Lin Xuan was more than happy to welcome her. The guild had now firmly established itself in this world, with more and more operations falling into place.
Still, Lin Xuan couldn't shake the feeling that this world held many hidden secrets.
Things like the Void Century, the Poneglyphs, the ancient weapons, and the utterly mysterious Im—all of it intrigued him.
In fact, he'd asked Roger about it before. The former Pirate King knew a fair amount.
Roger had pursued the truth behind the Poneglyphs himself and had uncovered plenty.
Even so, there were still gaps in his knowledge, and what he shared about the ancient weapons was hazy at best.
As for Im's origins in the World Government, Roger knew nothing at all.
When he'd kicked off the Great Pirate Era, wasn't it partly in the hope that others would chase the truth and uncover everything for future generations?
Lin Xuan knew these secrets were being deliberately buried by someone.
And now, with Nico Robin here, she could help him peel back the layers of those mysteries one by one.
After a long discussion, they finally settled on her officially joining the Ninja Guild.
To that end, Lin Xuan even created a dedicated department for uncovering the world's secrets, putting Nico Robin in charge.
He also assigned a few ninjas skilled in scouting to assist and protect her.
Nico Robin was thrilled, feeling a deep sense of relief about her choice.
Before coming to the Ninja Guild, she'd been staying with Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. She'd used his status for protection while it made searching for the Alabasta Poneglyph easier.
But after Crocodile joined the Summit War, he'd vanished without a trace, throwing her plans into chaos.
Now, with the Ninja Guild's backing, she might find the other Poneglyphs much faster.
They wrapped up the details quickly, and that's when Lin Xuan spoke up. "Would you like to visit the West Blue?"
Nico Robin blinked in surprise, then realized what he meant—he was talking about Ohara.
Her expression grew complicated, as if lost in memories: a mix of confusion, fear, and anticipation.
She wasn't sure why Lin Xuan had suddenly suggested Ohara, but after a brief pause, determination filled her eyes. "Yes, I would."
"Alright, then get ready. I'll take you on a trip to the West Blue soon—we might even turn up something useful," Lin Xuan said with a smile.
If he remembered right, Ohara had left behind plenty of precious documents and materials that hadn't been evacuated in time; they'd just been sealed away for protection.
He was eager to see if they could dig them up. It might help in piecing together more of the world's secrets.
With that, Lin Xuan took his leave, while Conis showed Nico Robin around the Ninja Guild and set up her living quarters.
As for poaching a future member of the Straw Hat kid's crew, Lin Xuan felt no guilt at all. Luffy didn't even know Nico Robin yet, so it wasn't really poaching—and besides, she'd come to him of her own accord.
Ever since the Summit War, the guy had developed a real admiration for him anyway, so he probably wouldn't mind.
Lin Xuan mentioned the upcoming trip to the West Blue to Sarutobi Hiruzen, and while he was at it, gave him another task. "Put together a file on all the known key figures in the World Government. I'll need it when I get back from Ohara."
"No problem," Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
Truth be told, both the Ninja Guild and the Revolutionary Army had already gathered intel on the World Government's top brass, so compiling it wouldn't be any trouble.
He was curious why Lin Xuan suddenly wanted those files, but seeing no explanation forthcoming, he didn't press.
Still, from the odd smile curling at Lin Xuan's lips, Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain of one thing: Lin Xuan was about to stir up trouble again.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the World Government's leaders.
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T/N:
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