Later that evening, as the Merry sailed toward the next island, Kenji found Nico Robin standing alone at the bow, watching the moonlight on the water.
"You are a terrifying man, Kenji," Robin repeated the words she had spoken earlier, but this time, the fear was entirely gone, replaced by a deep, profound respect and something akin to adoration. "But you used that terrifying power to protect others. To protect me."
She turned, her demeanor softened, the usual walls of caution lowered. "I knew what Crocodile was going to do. I was prepared for death or worse. But then you appeared. The Apex User."
"I told you," Kenji said, moving closer, his voice low. "You deserve happiness."
He gently reached out and took her hand. He could sense the enhanced Arboreus-Arboreus power coursing through her.
"The power you gave me... it's beautiful," she whispered. "I can grow diamond limbs now. It's truly mine."
"It is," Kenji confirmed, meeting her gaze. He had copied her Devil Fruit power concept, enhanced it, and then passed it to her, making her capable of generating limbs with the strength of any material she could imagine.
"What do you want, Kenji?" Robin asked, her eyes searching his. "You could be an Emperor. A Supreme Commander. Why stick with us?"
Kenji squeezed her hand gently. "I came here for an adventure, Robin-san. And to be a witness to the greatest legend of all time. But when I met you... I gained a new objective."
He stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "I want to see the last light of Ohara finally shine free, without the fear of the shadows. I want to be the foundation you can always lean on, the man who ensures your world is always safe."
He reached up, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek.
"I want you, Robin-san. I want to build a future for you."
Robin's composure finally shattered. She reached up, placing her hand over his, a genuine, unguarded smile touching her lips—a smile he knew the world rarely saw.
"Then I accept," she said simply. "Be my guardian, Kenji. Be my Apex."
They stood together, the moonlight illuminating the dawn of their relationship—a powerful protector and the woman who finally found a home.