Sabaody Archipelago, edge of Grove 12.
In the quiet alley, Nico Robin wiped her cheek and looked up at Ryan leaning against the wall nearby. Furious, she gritted her teeth and said, "Are you satisfied now?"
Ryan was holding a cigar between his lips, looking down at Robin's expression of "furious yet helpless." A pleased smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he openly expressed his delight: "Not bad. More interesting than I expected."
Nico Robin was naturally captivating, her mature and elegant demeanor tinged with an aloof coldness. Enhanced by the subtle interactions afforded by her Flower-Flower Fruit ability, she exuded a deadly tension.
What was even more remarkable was Robin's perceptiveness. Her early years spent navigating the shadows had given her a deeper understanding of human nature than most, allowing her to pinpoint others' weaknesses precisely. The earlier confrontation, filled with push and pull, had been utterly exhilarating.
In a way, watching this usually composed "Devil Child" repeatedly break her own boundaries and show signs of panic for the sake of her comrades—this sense of control was more thrilling to Ryan than anything else.
After all, wasn't conquest what men truly enjoyed?
"Satisfied?" Hearing Ryan's nonchalant reply, Robin's anger flared even hotter, almost uncontrollable. This guy could have easily avoided the situation earlier, yet... he simply wanted to trample her dignity underfoot and revel in her humiliation.
But no matter how furious she was, Robin couldn't afford to waste time. She took a deep breath, suppressing her rage, and asked, "Can you tell me now? Where were Luffy and the others sent? Are they in danger?"
"What's the rush? You were so patient earlier—why the impatience now?"
Ryan chuckled softly at Robin's agitation. He took a step forward, ignoring her physical resistance, and reached out to wipe the corner of her lips. With a teasing smile, he remarked, "Look at you, so careless. You should be more careful next time..."
"Enough!" Robin's face flushed instantly—not from embarrassment, but from fury at his audacious advance. She slapped his hand away sharply and took half a step back, putting distance between them. Her eyes were filled with vigilance and disgust. "Don't push your luck!"
How dare he mention "next time"? Was he really planning to keep her trapped by his side, thinking he had her completely under his thumb?
As soon as she got information about Luffy, she would leave immediately. She never wanted anything to do with this bastard ever again!
Ryan didn't seem bothered. As he withdrew his hand, he deliberately flexed his fingers, as if savoring the lingering sensation. He placed the cigar back between his lips, exhaled a pale gray smoke ring, and finally dropped his playful tone, shifting the topic abruptly: "You killed a Celestial Dragon. This matter has blown up way too much."
"What did you say?!"
Robin's head snapped up, her pupils contracting sharply. Her voice was filled with stunned disbelief, and her face instantly turned pale. The anger she had felt toward Ryan was completely replaced by overwhelming panic. She instinctively took half a step forward, staring intently at Ryan's face. "Killed a Celestial Dragon? How is that possible! Luffy... We never did anything like that!"
From the moment they landed on Sabaody Archipelago until now, they had indeed clashed with the Celestial Dragons. But "clashing" and "killing" were worlds apart. She had never seen anyone attempt to kill a Celestial Dragon—how could Ryan claim they had "killed a Celestial Dragon"?
"What does killing a Celestial Dragon mean? It's not as simple as 'offending a World Noble'—it means incurring the full-force pursuit of the World Government, more terrifying than the Ohara's Buster Call from back then! Was the message mistaken, or was someone deliberately framing us?"
"I'm not entirely clear on the specifics," Ryan said, his expression shifting oddly as he looked at Nico Robin, deliberately changing the subject. "Admiral Kizaru is coming. As for the government's orders, I'm only here because the government forced me to 'assist in arresting the Straw Hat Crew.'"
How could he explain this? Should he say, "I'm the one who killed the Celestial Dragon, and you're just scapegoats"?
Robin listened in a daze, mechanically blinking her eyes, her gaze still unfocused, clearly not yet recovered from the shock of "killing a Celestial Dragon."
Seeing this, Ryan didn't elaborate further and simply continued, "With your current strength, there's no escape. Bartholomew Kuma sent each of you flying—he was actually saving you."
Honestly, Ryan considered himself plenty arrogant, but even he would flee immediately after harming a Celestial Dragon, as far away as possible. In contrast, the Straw Hat Kid, after hitting a Celestial Dragon, didn't hurry to evacuate with his crew but instead lingered around Sabaody Archipelago, waiting for the Marines to surround them. To put it nicely, it's ignorance giving courage; to put it bluntly, it's foolishness.
In essence, they hadn't experienced true "harsh reality," thinking they could charge recklessly across the seas with sheer passion and camaraderie, unaware that their current strength wasn't even enough to qualify for entry into the New World.
It was this incident that made the Straw Hat Kid realize his shortcomings, leading to the "3D2Y" promise.
These words struck Robin deeply. She had considered Bartholomew Kuma's motives but hadn't delved into the possibility of "rescue."
"Why would Bartholomew Kuma save us?" Robin suppressed her astonishment, her voice filled with disbelief. "He's with the World Government, a Seven Warlord, and we have no prior connection."
Ryan flicked the ash from his cigar, meeting Robin's puzzled eyes as he slowly explained, "Because Bartholomew Kuma is a cadre of the Revolutionary Army."
"What?!" Robin's body stiffened abruptly, her pupils contracting sharply, almost thinking she had misheard.
The Revolutionary Army—that mysterious organization diametrically opposed to the World Government, aiming to overthrow the existing order—Kuma was once a member? But upon reflection, it made some sense. After all, Luffy's father, Dragon, was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and all the previous unusual moments suddenly had a logical explanation. No wonder he had spared them at Thriller Bark.
After a few seconds of silence, Nico Robin asked, "Even if Kuma was protecting us, where exactly did he send Luffy and the others?"
"Who knows?" Ryan shrugged, tossing the burnt-out cigar butt to the ground and crushing it under his toe. "Only Kuma himself knows for sure. All I can confirm is the safety of the Straw Hat Kid and his crew."
Knowing was one thing, but why spell it out in such detail? Besides, if he were too specific, it might come off as unbelievable. Only vague statements like this carried more credibility.
Robin furrowed her brow, her eyes carefully studying Ryan. Based on her understanding of this man, he was not one to deceive her with lies. Yet, the claims that "Kuma is a Revolutionary Army member" and "our companions were sent to a safe place" were so unbelievable that she couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Ryan clearly saw through Robin's hesitation. A playful smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he raised his hand, gently tracing the tips of her hair. Leaning closer, he chuckled softly, "If you don't believe me, how about we make a bet?"
"A bet?" Robin looked up in surprise, her gaze meeting the amusement in Ryan's eyes. A sense of foreboding rose within her. Uncomfortable with his intimate gesture, she frowned slightly, a clear look of distaste flashing in her eyes.
This man's "bets" were never simple matters—nine times out of ten, they concealed traps designed to embarrass her.