Vivi's eyes widened in recognition.
A tall woman sat upon the cabin roof as if she had been there the entire time.
She wore a white cowboy hat and a revealing dark outfit. One leg rested elegantly over the other, and an amused smile curved across her face.
A small Eternal Pose spun between her fingers.
"Miss All Sunday..." Vivi whispered.
Robin's smile deepened, her voice carrying a mature, teasing warmth.
"It has been a while, Princess... Vivi."
Nami snapped her gaze toward Vivi.
"You know her?"
"She's Crocodile's partner!"
Robin placed one finger lightly against her lips.
"Technically, I am the vice president of Baroque Works."
"So she is the enemy, then?!"
"No?" Robin tilted her head thoughtfully. "I thought promotions usually made people sound more respectable, yet you somehow sound even more hostile now."
Vivi stepped back cautiously, realizing her identity had already been exposed, and pulled Nami back with her.
Miss All Sunday.
The mysterious woman who stood directly beneath Crocodile in Baroque Works.
Unlike the other agents, Vivi had never been able to understand her motives.
She had taken part in countless secret operations, yet she had never seemed truly loyal to the organization.
Robin casually tossed the Eternal Pose into the air and caught it again.
"This points directly toward Alabasta. With it, you can avoid Little Garden entirely."
Vivi stared at the object.
"Why would you help us?"
Robin tilted her head, pressing a finger playfully to her lips.
"Perhaps I'm curious."
"Curious?" Vivi's eyes narrowed. "What exactly does Miss All Sunday want to know?"
Robin's dark eyes shifted toward Shiki.
"The man who received a three-hundred-million-berry bounty almost immediately after entering the Grand Line."
Shiki looked her over from head to toe, then stroked his chin with faint interest.
He was curious what kind of expression she would make in just a few moments.
Did she really think he was like Luffy?
Let's see how long you can keep that arrogant composure.
Robin's smile remained calm, but a trace of caution flickered in her eyes.
She had already read the reports from Whiskey Peak.
Dozens of agents defeated without effort.
Mr. 5 incapacitated.
Miss Valentine spared only because Shiki considered her too insignificant to kill.
And now, the princess of Alabasta had willingly boarded his ship.
Robin wanted to see it with her own eyes.
What kind of man was capable of causing so much chaos the moment he entered the Grand Line?
She extended the Eternal Pose toward Nami.
"You may have it."
Nami did not move. Instead, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch."
"That makes it even more suspicious!"
Robin chuckled softly.
"You are a careful navigator. Rather like a wary orange cat."
Then her gaze returned to Shiki.
"So, Captain... will you accept my gift?"
Shiki looked at her without expression.
Then, slowly, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"No."
Robin's smile paused.
For a moment, genuine surprise flickered in her eyes.
That was not the answer she had expected.
Shiki raised one hand, and an invisible force seized her body.
"You've been sitting rather high. Get down."
Robin's eyes widened as she was torn from the cabin roof and dragged across the deck.
She reacted at once, crossing her arms.
"Seis Fleur."
Arms bloomed from the mast, the deck, and even Shiki's own shoulders.
Several coiled around his throat and limbs, while others tried to twist his joints.
Shiki did not even glance at them.
A pulse of invisible force erupted from his body.
Every manifested arm was crushed and dispersed in an instant.
Robin grunted as pain shot through her real limbs.
Before she could recover, Shiki's hand closed around her throat.
Her back slammed against the mast.
The entire ship shuddered.
Robin gripped his wrist, but after the initial shock passed, her composure quickly returned.
"You're rather rough with women."
"That's not something you should say after stepping onto my ship without permission."
Robin's lips curved faintly, despite the pressure around her throat.
"And here I thought pirates enjoyed women sneaking into their bedrooms."
Shiki studied her face.
Even with his hand around her throat, she did not beg.
She was cautious, but not panicked.
Her calmness was not born from confidence that she could defeat him. She already understood that she could not.
It was the calmness of someone who had spent most of her life surrounded by people willing to betray her, sell her out, or kill her the moment she became inconvenient.
Death was familiar to her.
That made her far more interesting than the agents at Whiskey Peak.
Shiki released her throat.
"Too bad you didn't choose to sneak into my bed instead. You got the order wrong."
Robin landed lightly on the deck and rubbed the reddened skin around her neck.
"Ara. What makes you think I forgot?"
Her lips curved faintly.
"Perhaps I simply prefer the outdoors."
She glanced toward the mast with a calm smile.
"After all... the mast is surprisingly sturdy."
Vivi's face burned red at those shameless words.
This Miss All Sunday... why is she saying such indecent things with such a straight face?
Even Shiki was somewhat surprised.
He knew Robin had a strange personality and could be unpredictable, but this was honestly refreshing. Despite being someone who had no real experience in that area, she spoke as if she were a seasoned professional.
Nami moved to Shiki's side, raised a hand to her mouth, and whispered in a low voice.
"You're letting her go? I don't think that's a good idea. This woman is too cunning. What if she attacks when our guard is down?"
Before Shiki could respond, Robin seemed to have heard her. She nodded thoughtfully.
"That is sensible. Some women might wait until you fall asleep before quietly snapping your neck."
Nami glared daggers at her and immediately stepped in front of Shiki, shielding him.
Shiki stared at Nami's back with dead fish eyes.
A moment ago, she had been scared out of her wits. Now that Robin was standing on the deck instead of above them, she had suddenly grown bold.
Robin smiled gently, brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and winked at Shiki.
"But I wouldn't do that."
Nami slowly exhaled, thinking her threat had worked, and was just about to act smug.
Then Robin added softly,
"I would use poison."
"..."
"Enough. She's just teasing you."
Shiki sighed and pulled Nami back just as she looked ready to fight Robin.
Then he pointed a finger at Robin with an ordering tone.
"And you... you'll take us to Crocodile."
Robin blinked cutely and pointed at herself.
"Are you asking me?"
"No."
The ship creaked.
Several loose ropes rose into the air like serpents, wrapping around Robin's wrists, waist, and ankles before pulling her firmly against the mast.
Robin glanced down at the restraints.
"My, my. The technique is quite advanced, Mr. Shiki."
She raised her eyes toward him with a faint smile.
"Should I assume you have tied up many women before?"
'Damn it, this woman knows no shame!'
Nami and Vivi both blushed fiercely at the double meaning behind Robin's words.
"You two can relax."
Shiki calmly drew his sword and channeled Haki into the blade.
"No matter what she might be planning, in the face of absolute strength, everything becomes meaningless."
At first, Robin did not react much to his words, even while restrained against the mast.
But what happened next seemed to awaken something buried deep inside her.
A memory of flames.
Of warships.
Of an island erased from the map.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her mouth parted as if she had forgotten how to breathe.
"Lion Might: Severance!"
The moment Shiki swung his sword forward, the vast sea ahead of them split apart.
Nami, who had been the first to follow him, and Vivi, who had placed her last hope on him, both froze where they stood.
Their thoughts went blank.
As far as their eyes could see, the ocean had been cut open, leaving behind a bottomless trench with no visible end.
Splash!
A towering wave rose, and droplets fell like rain upon their stunned, foolish expressions.
Shiki calmly sheathed his sword once more.
That slash was both a warning and a display of strength.
Loyalty was often born from a person's competence.
The Naruto world had taught him that very clearly.
...
"Hmmm…"
"Mmm ~."
"Could you stop that? Why are you making such weird noises?" Nami huffed, arms folded as she faced the trussed-up Nico Robin.
"Ara-ara. I was merely reflecting on how unusual your captain is." Robin's gaze slid to Shiki, who stood with his back to them, golden hair streaming in the breeze and framing his sharply handsome profile.
"I might need several nights of…thorough observation to satisfy my curiosity."
"Please don't say things like that—it's seriously creepy!" Nami groaned, a twitch in her brow.
"Ah, so you're jealous. How greedy." Robin nodded sagely, a teasing gleam in her eye as she fixed a knowing look on Nami.
"Ugh." Nami spun away. She should've taken Shiki's advice—trying to talk sense into this woman was a lost cause.
Robin's eyes slid past Nami and settled on Vivi.
"You've placed your faith in a fascinating yet perilous ally, Princess."
Nefertari Vivi caught the implication and glanced toward Shiki.
He was already back at the bow, treating the act of lashing Crocodile's accomplice to the mast as an ordinary part of the day.
"He may be unusual," Vivi conceded, "but he's strong enough to save Alabasta."
Robin's expression became unreadable.
"Strength alone does not always save a kingdom."
"Perhaps," Vivi answered softly, "but it can still topple the man tearing one apart."
For a brief moment, neither woman spoke.
Robin knew better than anyone how merciless Crocodile could be.
She also knew the secret hidden beneath Alabasta—the Poneglyph he had spent years searching for.
If this pirate truly defeated him, then the plans that had consumed the kingdom might finally collapse.
Whether that would save Alabasta or merely replace one disaster with another remained to be seen.
Then Robin's gaze dropped toward Vivi's bruised neck once more.
"Still, you appear to have paid a rather painful deposit."
Vivi immediately covered her neck in shame.
"This wasn't part of the agreement!"
"Don't worry. From this little encounter alone, I can tell he likes things rough… and you don't seem to hate it either. That explains your private preferences quite well."
"Urrgh!! I'm done! There's no saving you!"
Vivi's face flushed bright red. She huffed, turned on her heel, and stormed off with quick, embarrassed steps.
Robin's smiling face finally turned expressionless.
Her eyes settled on the lone man standing ahead, and she sighed inwardly.
So… what now?
What are you going to do with me, Shiki?
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