"I was quite surprised to see you on the same ship as Captain Straw Hat just now."
Nico Robin's gaze was still on Luo Chen.
Luo Chen did not speak.
Luffy shouted, "Hey, who are you? What are you doing on my ship?"
"Miss All Sunday, what are you doing here?!" Vivi shouted, her eyes full of vigilance.
She explained to the others that Nico Robin was Crocodile's partner.
In an instant, everyone except for Luo Chen and Luffy became a little tense.
A person who could be a partner to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile, would definitely not be weak.
Nico Robin remained elegantly seated on the railing and chuckled lightly.
"You're all going to Alabasta to help this princess deal with Crocodile, aren't you?"
"That's a truly crazy move. But a friendly reminder: even with the 80-million-Berry wanted man Luo Chen here, you are no match for my boss."
Vivi gritted her teeth. "Luffy and the others will definitely defeat Crocodile!"
Nico Robin shook her head and smiled. "How pitiful. A kingdom's princess has been reduced to asking a few pirates for help."
She smiled. "I just saw Mr. 8 perish in an explosion at sea."
Vivi's eyes suddenly turned red. She pulled out her weapon and roared, "You killed Igaram!"
Robin smiled but did not speak.
But at this moment, the members of the Straw Hat crew all took a fighting stance.
Igaram was a minister and guard who served Vivi. Since this woman had killed Igaram, she was clearly an enemy.
Sanji and Usopp happened to be on the second deck.
The former held a pistol, while the latter drew his slingshot, aiming at Nico Robin.
Zoro's longsword was half-unsheathed.
"Don't point such dangerous weapons at me," Nico Robin said with a slight smile.
As her voice fell, Sanji and Usopp both cried out in surprise. They were thrown from the second deck by something unknown.
The longsword in Zoro's hand was also knocked away by a fleeting black shadow, falling to the ground.
Luffy, Carina, and Nami's eyes widened.
"A Devil Fruit ability?!" Nami said in surprise.
Luo Chen nodded. "She's a Paramecia-type Flower-Flower Fruit user, with a bounty of 79 million Berries."
As soon as he said this, everyone's expression changed.
The Straw Hat crew was surprised that this woman's bounty was as high as 79 million Berries, much higher than Luffy's current bounty of 20 million.
Nico Robin, on the railing, was also shaken, the smile gone from her face.
When she operated in Baroque Works, she only revealed the name Miss All Sunday. The purpose was to hide her true identity and evade pursuit from the Marines.
For Luo Chen to be able to state her fruit ability and bounty in one breath proved that he knew her true identity.
This made Nico Robin feel a deep sense of crisis.
She was a major fugitive wanted by the Marines and the World Government.
If Luo Chen were to reveal her identity, even Crocodile might not be able to protect her.
A cold glint appeared in Robin's deep blue eyes.
Luo Chen met her gaze, and his figure suddenly flashed, disappearing from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already beside Robin.
Luo Chen's hand landed lightly on Nico Robin's shoulder. He smiled.
"Thinking of killing me to silence me? There's no need. How could I possibly reveal anything to the Marines?"
"They and I are in a fight to the death."
Nico Robin's entire body was tense. She turned her head slightly, her peripheral vision fixed on Luo Chen. "How did you get here?!"
In that instant, she hadn't seen any trace of Luo Chen's movement. It was as if he had teleported through space.
Luo Chen glanced at Nico Robin's hip.
To be precise, it was the railing she was sitting on.
He had left a Flying Thunder God mark on the second-deck railing.
Unfortunately for her, Nico Robin had appeared right above the mark.
He did not explain the reason and whispered in Nico Robin's ear, "Nico Robin. That's your name, isn't it?"
"Ever since you were eight years old, you've been hunted by the Marines and the World Government, living as a fugitive to this day. Staying by Crocodile's side is also to seek protection. Am I wrong?"
Robin's deep blue pupils trembled.
This person knew everything about her.
What was worse was that Luo Chen's hand was clamped firmly on her shoulder. If she made the slightest move, Robin suspected he would instantly crush her shoulder blade.
Luo Chen chuckled. "The only one who knows your identity right now is me. Luffy and the others don't know."
Robin asked in a low voice, "What exactly do you want?"
"Cooperating with Crocodile is no different from asking a tiger for its skin. Why don't you cooperate with me instead?" Luo Chen proposed.
A trace of mockery flashed in Nico Robin's beautiful eyes as she looked at him sideways. "And cooperating with you wouldn't be asking a tiger for its skin?"
"Besides, Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords. That tiger is fierce enough that even the Marines and the World Government are unwilling to offend him."
"Luo Chen, what do you have? An 80-million-Berry pirate. Although not weak, you can find a dime a dozen of those in the Grand Line."
Hearing this, Luo Chen sighed. "It seems I have no choice but to offend you."
Nico Robin had been on guard all along. She crossed her arms and activated the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit.
On Luo Chen's neck, two fair hands grew out, suddenly tightening around his neck and trying to snap it backward.
Pitch-black Armament Haki enveloped his neck.
Robin's strangulation technique had no effect.
She felt that Luo Chen's neck was as hard as steel, completely unbendable.
A large hand suddenly clamped around Robin's neck.
Her breathing became difficult, and she could no longer maintain the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit.
Luo Chen's right hand threw a small black object, which accurately entered Robin's mouth.
Forced by the lack of air, she instinctively swallowed it.
Seeing this, Luo Chen released her.
Robin clutched her neck, gasping heavily. The feeling of suffocation brought tears to her eyes. But at this moment, she clearly had no time to worry about her disheveled appearance.
She said nervously, "What did you make me eat?"
Luo Chen smiled. "A seed. As for what it does, I'll just have to show you."
He threw out a brown seed with a green sprout, which landed on the deck.
The next moment, the seed, as if a hedgehog entering a defensive posture, instantly grew a large number of sharp wooden spikes.
Seeing this, Robin's face turned slightly pale.
She stared at Luo Chen with some anger.
She had no ill will toward Luo Chen and the others, yet this guy had brutally forced her to cooperate with him.
"Nico Robin, you must have seen many despicable pirates like me during your life as a fugitive, right?"
Luo Chen asked with a smile, "Now give me an answer. Will you cooperate?"
Robin took a deep breath, her chest, wrapped in the denim vest, rising and falling. "Indeed, I judged a book by its cover."
When she first saw Luo Chen, observing his gentle temperament and kind, upright features, she had never expected him to be so shameless.
Now Robin knew that she was under his control.
She asked coldly, displeased, "What exactly is this cooperation? And why did you have to choose me?"
Luo Chen thought for a moment and smiled. "I'm preparing to form a pirate crew, and I need a lot of money. After you go back, get all of Crocodile's wealth ready and wait for me to pick it up at the Rain-Dinners casino."
Robin's expression changed slightly. "Both you and I will be hunted down by Crocodile."
"Will he have the time? Luffy and the others are going to send him flying, after all," Luo Chen retorted.
Robin glanced at Luffy and the others and shook her head. "You actually believe they can defeat one of the Seven Warlords."
Luo Chen smiled. "Don't underestimate them. Besides, even if they lose, they still have me."
Robin scoffed. "You still don't understand the terror of the Seven Warlords."
She seemed to not want to face Luo Chen any longer and asked, "Can I go now? I will have the money ready for you at Rain-Dinners. I hope you have the courage to come and get it."
"You can go," Luo Chen said, leaping off the second deck and returning to Nami's side.
Robin gave him a cold look, jumped off the Going Merry, returned to her sea beast ship, and urged it away.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]