In the vast world of One Piece, if one were to rank the greatest beauties, Darian would undoubtedly place Nico Robin at the very top. Even Nami would have to settle for second place.
Robin embodied the ultimate "big sister" archetype—intellectual, mature, incredibly sexy, with a hint of dark, playful cunning. Her looks, her hourglass figure, and her enigmatic demeanor were absolutely flawless.
Furthermore, Darian knew her history. Robin, like Nami, had endured a childhood filled with unimaginable trauma and betrayal. Both were survivors, deeply starved for genuine affection and stability. Perhaps that shared vulnerability beneath their tough exteriors was precisely why Darian found them so compelling.
Clasping Robin's soft, delicate hand, Darian could feel its cool touch. Her fingers were incredibly smooth and slender.
In truth, Robin was a tall woman, standing at a striking 1.88 meters (6'2"). Her hands were by no means small, and she was actually slightly taller than Darian.
Lost in his admiration of her deep blue eyes, Darian was suddenly jolted back to reality by a terrifying surge of murderous intent from directly behind him.
It was too late to dodge.
THUD!
Nami's "Fist of Love" smashed down onto the top of Darian's skull with the force of a falling anvil.
Before he could even register the pain, a massive, comical lump rose from his head. His vision swam with cartoonish stars.
Thump!
Darian's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed limply onto the wooden deck.
Many warriors in the Grand Line expend immense effort and years of grueling training to master Haki. Yet, there are some who seem born naturally endowed with its highest forms, fueled by pure emotion.
A super level of Observation Haki for predicting the weather. A super level of Armament Haki manifesting as the skull-crushing "Fist of Love." And a super level of Conqueror's Haki fueled entirely by jealous rage.
Nami truly lived up to her reputation. Even Darian's shock-absorbing silicone physiology proved unable to withstand the impact of her furious, gag-manga iron fist.
As Darian hit the deck, Robin—who had still been contemplating how to lethal-snap his neck—stared at Nami in momentary bewilderment.
Meeting Robin's gaze, Nami's rage evaporated, suddenly remembering that the tall, elegant woman standing before her was Crocodile's lethal second-in-command. Terrified, Nami scrambled back a few steps, hiding behind her staff.
"Damn it," Darian groaned, rubbing the massive lump on his head as he shakily rose to his feet. "Does she come with Conqueror's Haki built-in?"
After taking a direct hit from the navigator, the starry-eyed, brain-dead excitement Darian felt upon seeing Robin finally subsided. He regained his focus.
Seeing that Darian was back on his feet and no longer acting like a drooling idiot, Nami puffed out her chest and glared right back at Robin. She truly was the "Little Thief Cat"—bold and sassy, acting tough even when terrified.
Darian cleared his throat, adjusting his jacket.
"Alright then," Darian said, his expression turning serious as he looked at Robin. "My beautiful big sister here... it seems you have some unfinished business with a client currently aboard my ship. I think it would be best if you stayed behind to clear things up."
As his words hung in the air, both Vivi and Nami immediately tightened their grips on their weapons. Miss Valentine stood off to the side, biting her nails, unsure of whose side she should take. Alvida simply leaned against the mast with her arms crossed, watching the drama unfold with an amused smirk. The fact that she wasn't actively causing trouble was a blessing.
It was true that Darian was utterly infatuated with Robin. And precisely because of that infatuation, he genuinely wanted to keep her on the ship.
Robin, an expert at reading people, could discern the absolute, uncompromising sincerity—and possessiveness—in Darian's eyes. He wasn't joking. He fully intended to capture her.
Sensing the shift in his aura, Robin decisively activated the power of her Flower-Flower Fruit.
"Treinta Fleur..." (Thirty Flowers)
A gust of floral fragrance and ghostly pink petals swept across the deck.
Instantly, dozens of slender, tanned arms "sprouted" from Darian's torso, shoulders, and legs, wrapping around him and locking every one of his joints in a vice-like grip.
At the very same moment, two pairs of arms sprouted on both Nami and Vivi, locking them in painful submission holds.
"What is this?!" Nami cried out in alarm, dropping her staff as her arms were wrenched behind her back.
Robin, who had been looking quite relaxed just moments before, assumed her signature combat stance—crossing her arms in an 'X' over her chest. She gazed at Darian with a grave, deadly expression.
"Don't move," Robin warned, her voice dropping an octave. "Otherwise, I'll snap their spines."
Robin knew that this move would easily subdue two normal girls like Nami and Vivi. However, when it came to Darian—a man who had just effortlessly fried Mr. 5—Robin maintained a highly cautious stance, keeping the majority of her sprouted limbs focused on restraining him.
"Now, now, Miss All Sunday," Darian replied calmly, not struggling against the dozens of hands gripping him. "Surely you're familiar with my abilities by now? I could fry you to a crisp in the split second before you manage to snap their necks. After all, the speed of lightning is second only to the speed of light."
He offered a relaxed smile. "Let's just talk this out reasonably. All I asked was for you to stay aboard. I wasn't planning on hurting you. There's no need to be so tense."
Darian shifted his weight. "Besides... your abilities can't actually hurt me."
As he spoke, Darian activated his Human Path.
Without Robin applying any pressure to twist them, Darian's joints began to contort and stretch in a highly unnatural, fluid manner. Robin watched in shock as his body became as pliable as industrial rubber.
Furthermore, the tactile feedback transmitted through the hands she had sprouted on his body revealed that his skin was incredibly smooth, yet completely frictionless and elastic.
Given Robin's extensive knowledge of the underworld and Devil Fruits, she instantly realized that Darian's physiology was fundamentally altered. Snapping his joints or breaking his spine was a physical impossibility; he would just bend and snap back into place.
Capable of discharging millions of volts of electricity, moving at superhuman speeds, and possessing a body immune to joint-locks—Darian's presence suddenly exerted a terrifying pressure on Robin.
Seeing Robin's eyes widen slightly in realization, Darian spoke up again. "See? I'm rubbery. Now, please, let the girls go. As long as we talk things out clearly, everything is fine. You came here with good intentions, after all; there's no need to let things turn hostile."
Just as Darian suspected, Robin had originally come simply to deliver an item; the situation hadn't escalated to a life-and-death battle yet. Having utilized her sprouted eyes to observe the ship for the past hour, Robin had merely witnessed Darian dunking Mr. 5 in a barrel. Miss Valentine appeared unharmed. He wasn't a mindless butcher.
After a moment's calculation, Robin uncrossed her arms.
The sprouted limbs vanished into bursts of pink petals. Nami and Vivi gasped, rubbing their sore shoulders.
Robin reached into the cleavage of her cropped vest, pulled out a glass sphere encased in wood, and tossed it toward Darian.
Darian caught it smoothly.
"An Eternal Pose?" Nami recognized the object instantly, rubbing her neck.
"Yes," Robin said, regaining her cool, enigmatic composure. "It points directly to Alabasta."
She offered a faint, patronizing smile. "It charts a highly covert route—one that even the low ranking members in our organization are unaware of. If you follow it, you won't have any Baroque Works fleets chasing after you."
"This isn't some kind of trap, is it?" Nami demanded, her natural timidity and intense suspicion of the older, beautiful woman flaring up.
Robin did not rush to deny it. Instead, she looked at Vivi. "Princess, your next destination according to your standard Log Pose is Little Garden, isn't it? I've already reported your current trajectory to the organization. Mr. 3 and his partner are likely already waiting for you there to kill you."
The first half of the Grand Line was comprised of seven distinct magnetic routes. Once a particular route was selected at Reverse Mountain, the sequence of islands was generally immutable. If they followed their current Log Pose, they would walk right into an ambush.
Robin was offering them a shortcut.
Faced with Robin's contradictory behavior—acting as both a deadly adversary and a helpful benefactor—Nami immediately flew into a rage.
"You wicked woman!" Nami yelled, pointing a finger at her. "If you've already leaked our whereabouts to Headquarters, why on earth would you give us a safe route now?! Are you hatching some kind of sick plot?"
At Nami's outburst, Vivi also cast a worried, conflicted glance at the Eternal Pose in Darian's hand. She desperately needed to get home, but she didn't want to lead her saviors into a trap set by Crocodile's right-hand woman.
Indifferent to the women's various suspicions, Darian merely tossed the compass into the air and caught it again, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"There's no need to be afraid, Nami," Darian said smoothly. "Because this lovely young lady will be accompanying us all the way to Alabasta."
Upon hearing this, Robin froze in stunned silence. Her cool facade cracked completely.
She had assumed that by handing over the compass and warning them about Little Garden, she was playing her mysterious role and buying her exit. Instead, Darian had just delivered a crushing checkmate.
Nami opened her mouth to object—to ask why in the world they should allow an enemy assassin to tag along—but she stopped. If they intended to utilize Robin's compass, keeping Robin herself on board as a hostage/guide was, in fact, the most logical tactical solution to ensure it wasn't a trap.
"Now, Miss All Sunday..." Darian said, his voice dropping an octave as he looked at her. "Don't you go getting any ideas about sprouting wings and flying away."
To emphasize his point, Darian casually raised two fingers.
KRA-KOOM!
A thick, blinding bolt of lightning shot from his hand, striking the ocean surface fifty yards away. The water exploded into a massive, boiling plume of steam.
Gazing at Darian's smug, triumphant grin, Robin felt a rare surge of genuine irritation. It was as if this man possessed absolutely no conscience—her act of "kindness" had been completely ignored, and she was being taken prisoner on her own terms.
And so, despite her deep displeasure and vast intelligence network, Nico Robin found herself forcibly detained by the White Emperor.
Later That Night.
Darian sat in his cabin, rubbing his temples.
Right now, there were six women on this ship: Nami, Vivi, Robin, Carmen, Miss Valentine (Mikita), and Alvida. The social pressure and the sheer volume of estrogen were actually quite intense.
Unfortunately, he still had a long road ahead of him before he could realize his dream of a harmonious, unified crew.
As of now, Darian had only truly claimed Nami. Carmen and Mikita were intimidated but compliant; winning them over wouldn't be too difficult given his Devil Fruit's passive charm.
Alvida practically threw herself at him, but he still found her personality (and the knowledge of her past) grating.
Then there was Vivi: a beautiful, fiercely determined sixteen-year-old princess carrying the weight of a nation. She was untouchable until he saved her country.
And Robin? Unless he resorted to brutal force—which he absolutely refused to do—Darian reckoned he had a very long, delicate journey ahead of him. A mature, independent, hyper-intelligent survivor like Robin was the ultimate prize, and she would be incredibly difficult to truly conquer.
And to make matters worse tonight...
Nami was absolutely furious.
She was furious that Robin had joined the crew, furious at Darian's blatant infatuation, and furious at the entire situation. She had locked the cabin door and built a wall of pillows down the center of the bed. She wouldn't even let Darian touch her arm, let alone engage in any "Dual Cultivation."
Darian sighed, staring at the wooden ceiling.
It turns out building a pirate empire and a loyal harem wasn't quite as easy as his Devil Fruit made it seem. It was going to be a long, arduous journey.
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