Chapter 1
Not One of the Protagonists—Yet Somehow Running Into One of Their Crew
"I'm sixteen. I can do anything. Please let me join your organization."
After she said that, the young girl fell silent.
Louis Bardel stared at the nautical chart spread across the table—fresh ink, drawn moments ago by the sixteen-year-old standing before him. The routes of the West Blue flowed from her pen with effortless precision. Major trade lanes, hidden currents, dangerous reefs—she recited them as naturally as breathing. Then she casually demonstrated how her Devil Fruit ability could be used for intelligence gathering.
Efficient. Subtle. Deadly useful.
Louis swallowed.
He glanced sideways at his captain and saw the unmistakable glint of ambition in the man's eyes.
In the Tequila Pirates, there was no future Pirate King like Monkey D. Luffy. No cute "emergency food supply" ship's doctor. No money-grubbing navigator. No directionally challenged swordsman. No lovestruck cook.
And yet—
Standing before them was Nico Robin.
Louis felt his soul leave his body.
The legendary Crew Annihilation Engine.
With Nico Robin joining…
Our glorious Tequila Pirates…
…are finished.
********
Louis Bardel was a transmigrator. Eighteen years old this year.
Three years ago, just as the memories of his previous life awakened, he found himself being recruited by a pirate captain who had just robbed a great noble—and still carried the stench of blood on him.
This world had no anime. No manga. No web novels. Not even movies.
Life had already lost one-third of its meaning.
After transmigrating into the world of One Piece, Louis had no grand ambition to conquer the seas, no desire to carve his name into history.
He only wanted to enjoy good food, marry a beautiful wife, and live peacefully until old age.
That was it.
He had planned to refuse the captain's offer.
Unfortunately, the captain's arms were thicker than his waist. His crew numbered in the dozens. And the blade in his hand was still dripping blood—so fresh that the metallic scent made Louis's scalp prickle.
When the captain placed that bloodstained sword on the table in front of him, Louis—who in his previous life had only ever seen blood in hospitals and kitchens—instantly realized something.
There was only one correct answer.
"Of course, Boss! No problem, Boss! From today on, I'm yours!"
"…Call me Captain."
And just like that, Louis became a small-time pirate in the Tequila Pirates.
For the past three years, he had diligently "survived." Clocking in like an office worker, doing only what was required of him. Never standing out. Never drawing unnecessary attention.
Thankfully, his captain didn't slaughter civilians or raid merchant ships.
As the captain liked to say:
"Commoners and small traders risk their lives for scraps. Too much trouble for too little profit."
Nobles, on the other hand, were rich.
Louis didn't judge chaotic times through the lens of a peaceful era. By pirate standards, his captain was already better than ninety percent of the scum out there—almost merciful.
Thanks to Louis's deliberate low profile and strict self-restraint, his strength was only slightly below the captain's, yet his bounty remained a modest 8 million Berries.
Not bad.
Since their crew targeted nobles, their overall bounty numbers were already inflated. Eight million was actually a fairly safe figure.
With a bounty like that, he could theoretically "challenge a Yonko if he advanced, beat up the Pirate King if he retreated."
Surely, for someone whose only dream was good food, beautiful scenery, and a peaceful old age, survival wouldn't be a problem.
********
Another safe day!
Though he'd grown accustomed to life with a blade at his throat, Louis still liked to quietly congratulate himself whenever nothing exploded.
Unfortunately, either his daily blessing malfunctioned…
Or he had planted too many death flags.
Because the moment he stepped off the docked pirate ship—
He saw her.
A beautiful girl who made his legs go weak.
Not from excitement.
From sheer terror.
Nico Robin.
And not the mature future version—
But a young, green sixteen-year-old Nico Robin.
Two-dimensional characters becoming three-dimensional humans always involved subtle changes in appearance. Louis understood that.
The reason he could recognize her was because he had once purchased something very special on the black market:
A confidential Marine document titled
"Twenty Years of Dangerous Figures in the West Blue."
It had cost him fifteen thousand Berries.
Worth every cent.
The sixteen-year-old Nico Robin wore an almost shy expression, deliberately appearing slightly inexperienced as she approached the Tequila Pirates' first mate under investigation.
"Hello," she said politely. "I heard your crew is recruiting. I know a little about navigation. I believe the Tequila Pirates have a bright future, and I'd like to join."
Bright future?
Spare me.
More like no future at all.
Why else would it attract you, the walking extinction event?
Recalling her "glorious record"—every organization she had joined ending in destruction, a fact even personally acknowledged by Kuzan—Louis felt his scalp tighten.
Ever since regaining his memories, he had cross-referenced the timeline in his head with newspapers and reports in this world.
The major events of his previous life's story were unfolding here with uncanny accuracy.
Which meant one thing:
Nico Robin truly was the Crew Annihilation Engine.
'Yes, your backstory is tragic. Yes, you're beautiful. But sorry. I may have been from Earth in my previous life, but in this one I've fully integrated into the world. I'm face-blind. Absolutely face-blind. Also, our crew doesn't deserve to be your disposable shield.'
Louis stared at the stunning girl in front of him while silently grumbling.
But he couldn't reject her outright. The pirate ship was right behind him. He was just a first mate—how could he decide for the captain?
Still, no problem.
All he needed was a few well-placed words in front of the captain.
Nico Robin would find no foothold here and retreat on her own.
Louis gave her a polite smile.
In his previous life, Louis had been ordinary. In this one, he was just a villager-turned-pirate. He had no idea that, in Robin's eyes—
He was riddled with flaws.
Having survived eight years in the frying pan of the world, Nico Robin, though only sixteen, had long since become seasoned.
Her gaze lingered on Louis's retreating back.
First: his bearing was wrong.
Ordinary pirates didn't carry themselves like that. He seemed more like someone raised comfortably—educated, refined. At the very least, middle-class. The aura of someone who had read books.
Second: his expression was wrong.
The moment he saw her, he recognized her.
Eight years had changed her appearance somewhat, yet he still knew who she was.
That meant careful intelligence gathering. A meticulous mind.
Which led to a problem.
Her 79 million Berry bounty was among the highest in the West Blue. If a normal pirate recognized her, they would either doubt her motives or welcome her strength.
Why would he show fear?
Why caution?
Why rejection?
Fear. Caution. Rejection…
Robin paused.
That was exactly how she herself reacted when unexpectedly encountering Marines or World Government agents.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
'A Marine or Government spy? No… the temperament doesn't match.'
Meticulous. Fearful. Guarded. Rejecting.
Put together, it felt like—
The reaction of a schemer whose plans had been disrupted.
Fear. Guard. Rejection.
That was how conspirators looked at variables.
Was he plotting something aboard this ship? First mate at such a young age… Did he come from a good background and resent serving under someone else? Was he planning a coup?
Accustomed to viewing the world through tinted lenses of suspicion, Robin quietly constructed an image of Louis as an ambitious plotter while following behind him toward the ship.
'It's only speculation. I might be overthinking. If he voices mild opposition, that's normal. But if he opposes my joining for no reason—strongly and irrationally—then he definitely has something to hide.'