Chapter 87: Robin Is On Board, I'm a Pirate!
At that moment, Ace spotted someone in the distance—Nico Robin.
"Not a Marine?" Ace muttered as his Observation Haki locked onto her position. "If you're already here, you might as well come out."
He didn't recognize her, but being watched constantly wasn't exactly comfortable—especially in enemy territory.
Robin stepped out calmly. "Excuse me. Pardon the intrusion."
Her eyes swept over the crew. "Hmm... so this is the Straw Hat Pirates?"
After a moment of hesitation, she decided not to beat around the bush. Ryuunosuke's words echoed in her mind:
"If you want to gain someone's trust, you have to choose to trust them first."
With that thought guiding her, she spoke clearly.
"I want to join your crew."
"This is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy," he said, glancing over at Luffy. "He may be an idiot, but he's pretty damn capable. So... why are you here, really?"
Ace's aura flared slightly. After all, this was Crocodile's base. Enemies could show up at any time—even if the visitor was a woman, her presence felt anything but harmless.
"I'd like to join the Straw Hat Pirates, if that's alright with you," Robin said without hesitation.
"Welcome aboard, beautiful lady!" Sanji shot forward in a whirl of hearts and joy, nearly bursting with excitement. "Let me be the first to welcome you to the crew!"
Nami's fists came down hard, putting an immediate end to Sanji's heart-eyed rampage.
Luffy, unfazed by all the noise, gave Robin a big grin. "Okay! From now on, you're one of us!"
"Thank you." Robin smiled politely. "I'm an archaeologist. I enjoy reading and sleeping. My name is Nico Robin. I look forward to working with you all."
She extended her hand.
Luffy grabbed it without hesitation, still grinning like a fool. "Welcome!"
Just like that, Nico Robin officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Hey!" Nami hissed, pulling Luffy to the side. "What's wrong with you?! You didn't even ask who she is! What if she's dangerous?"
"Huh?" Luffy blinked.
"You don't even know her background! What if she's with Crocodile? What if she's trying to trick us?! You can't just let someone join like that!"
Luffy shrugged. "Nah. I don't think she's a bad person."
"You're trusting your feelings again?!" Nami groaned, exasperated. "Ugh, this is hopeless..."
Luffy stretched his neck out toward Robin and asked bluntly, "Robin! You're not a bad guy, right?"
Robin looked amused. "Of course not. I'm your partner now."
Her smile was warm—genuine, even. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she could lower her guard.
Ryuunosuke was right, she thought. These people... might actually be worth trusting.
Meanwhile, Nami watched the exchange and clutched her forehead in despair.
"He asked her directly?!" she thought. "Even if she was a villain, she wouldn't admit it! And you're a pirate! What kind of captain asks a stranger if they're a bad guy?!"
She looked to the sky, praying for some kind of logic to return to her life.
"Why did I end up with a captain ?!" she thought miserably. "Ace is smart. Ryuunosuke is calm and calculated. But this little brother? This little idiot? He's so hopeless it hurts."
And just like that, Nico Robin was officially part of the crew.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Alabasta, Ryuunosuke and Crocodile had arrived at the capital—Alubarna.
"So this is Alabasta's capital..." Ryuunosuke muttered. "Looks... deserted."
"Alabasta's been stuck in civil war for years now," Sabo replied. "And their king supposedly used dancing powder to mess with the weather. That stirred up unrest. Now, the whole country's economy and morale are falling apart."
As a member of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo knew quite a bit about the internal affairs of the kingdoms. While he didn't know the fine details, he understood the big picture.
"Yeah, that dancing powder incident was Crocodile's doing," Ryuunosuke said with a smirk. "That poor king got played hard."
He looked out over the city. "Honestly, any other kingdom would've collapsed by now. Crocodile took full advantage of his position as a Warlord of the Sea. The World Government basically handed him permission to take over."
"Let's go talk to them," Ryuunosuke said, turning toward the city gates. "There's something I want to confirm."
"Can I come too?" Sabo asked, eyes sparkling. "I wanna hear more about that 'D' thing you mentioned before."
With Crocodile unconscious and slung over the back of a desert lizard, they made their way into Alubarna.
"Halt! Who are you people?!" the city guards shouted, rushing forward.
When they spotted Crocodile's unconscious body, panic spread instantly.
"That's... Crocodile?!"
"He's been defeated?!"
"Everyone, be on alert! Anyone strong enough to beat Crocodile is a serious threat!"
Ryuunosuke raised a hand in peace. "Hey, chill. We came to negotiate."
He motioned toward the unconscious Warlord. "This is our sincerity. Take us to see King Nefertari Cobra."
"But if you'd rather do things the hard way..." He stepped forward, the weight of his presence pressing down on the guards. "Then it won't be a negotiation. It'll be plunder."
"Name's Ryuunosuke. Captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates...?"
"The ones who fought a Navy Admiral and survived a battle with Vice Admiral Garp?"
"Why the hell would he be here?!"
"They're monsters..."
Most of the guards were already regretting showing up to work that day.
One of them tried to speak up. "Y-Your Majesty would never agree to meet with a pirate—"
Before he could finish, Ryuunosuke drew his sword—Ame-no-Habakiri —and slashed.
The massive arc of energy didn't hit them... but sliced clean through a distant sand dune.
The shockwave blew past them like a warning shot.
"I'm a pirate," Ryuunosuke said coldly. "Don't forget that."
"You're not in a position to get righteous."
"I could kill every one of you in under a minute."
The guards turned pale as ghosts, staring at the distant sand dune split in half.
None of them dared to say another word.
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