The second major news headline blazed across the page.
[STRAW HAT PIRATES' BOUNTIES SKYROCKET AGAIN IN SHORT TIME!]
[HAS THE DEVIL CHILD JOINED THEM? AN ALLIANCE OF DOOM!]
Seeing this, Robin's hand holding the newspaper suddenly went slack.
The color drained from her face as she leaned heavily against the ship's railing, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
Nami looked puzzled.
"Robin? Why are you reacting so strongly? Is something wrong?"
Sanji immediately abandoned his training, rushing over with concern etched on his face.
"Robin-san! Are you feeling alright? Would you like a calming tea? Or perhaps something stronger to relax?"
After a moment, Robin took several deep breaths, regaining her composure.
She shook her head, offering a strained smile.
"I'm fine. Just... surprised."
Ray had already identified the problem.
When the Marines tacitly allowed "Big News" Morgans to publish information about Robin joining the Straw Hat Pirates, it meant they had decided to take decisive action.
Even if Morgans had released this without the Government's knowledge, they would now be forced to act.
He glanced at Robin and spoke slowly, his voice steady.
"We've long anticipated this moment. Just relax."
Robin nodded. "Mm."
Luffy and Chopper tilted their heads, looking like confuse puppies.
They felt like Ray and Robin were speaking in riddles.
After pondering for a moment, Usopp and Sanji pieced it together.
"Robin is someone the World Government doesn't permit to live," Usopp muttered, his face pale.
"Because she can read the Poneglyphs—the hitory the government wants to erased."
"And this news publicly reveals that she has joined us," Sanji continued, lighting a cigarette with a grim expression.
"This concerns the face of the Marines and the World Government. They can't possibly know Robin-san is in our crew and do nothing."
He took a deep drag. "Looking at it now, even if we had accepted the Shichibukai title, we would have been required to hand her over as a condition. But our current situation is even worse because we're not Shichibukai. We're just pirates harboring a world-class criminal."
"It seems the Marine siege we're about to face will be quite dangerous."
By this point, even Luffy understood it.
"So you're saying the Marines will come after us, capture Robin, and execute her, right?"
Zoro smirked, joining the discussion. "In the eyes of the world, we're a threat level equivalent to the Shichibukai now. The Marines sent to siege us will be high-ranking. Vice Admirals wouldn't be enough. So... will it be elite Vice Admirals? Or... an Admiral?"
Nami, Chopper, and Usopp grew increasingly nervous, but to everyone's surprise, they didn't huddle together in fear.
They stood their ground.
Seeing the tension, Robin sighed.
"Perhaps... if you hand me over, things would be much easier..."
She intended to continue, but she stopped when she noticed the glares.
Ray, Luffy, Zoro—everyone was looking at her with dissatisfaction.
Luffy slammed his fist into his palm.
"ROBIN! You're our nakama!"
Even the "Cowardly Trio" puffed out their chests, mustering their courage.
"So what if it's an Admiral? Haven't we seen plenty of that level of power in the Demon Realm?" Usopp declared, though his voice wavered slightly.
"That's right! We won't know until we fight!" Chopper added, raising a hoof.
"Want us to hand over Robin? Not a chance!" Nami snapped.
Though their legs trembled, the expressions on all their faces conveyed one word: Impossible.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Robin felt the last vestiges of her suicidal self-sacrifice melt away.
Just as Ray had said, if she turned herself in, every member of this crew would risk their lives to get her back anyway.
Suddenly, Luffy seemed to have a realization.
He looked Robin dead in the eye.
"Robin, I want to hear your true feelings. Do you really want to keep living with us? No, let me rephrase—right now, do you truly want to live?"
Ray looked at Luffy, silently approving.
The captain had once again demonstrated his terrifying emotional intelligence.
This question was crucial.
If Robin wanted to live, they would fight the world for her.
But if she had lost the will to live, they couldn't save her.
However, after living with the Straw Hat Pirates for over three months, Robin answered without hesitation.
"Of course I want to live! With all of you!"
Hearing this, everyone smiled.
The tension broke.
Sanji immediately thumped his chest. "I'll always be the sturdiest shield protecting Robin-swan!"
Zoro shot him a disdainful look. "Tch. If a female Marine shows up, your shield will shatter instantly you damn cook."
Sanji froze, unable to retort, and eventually resorted to trying to kick the Moss Head into the ocean.
The others settled down.
Since their course of action was clear, they would train hard and wait for the battle.
Now calm, curiosity took over.
"So," Usopp asked, "how much have our bounties increased? Since we're enemies of the world now, it probably isn't small."
Everyone waited in anticipation.
...
Grand Line, Marine Headquarters.
In the quiet of the officers' dormitory, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp sat together, a rare moment of privacy away from duty.
Both looked at the newspaper and the new wanted posters spread on the table.
Sengoku crunched loudly on a rice cracker.
"Garp... since Morgans revealed Nico Robin's information, I really can't go easy anymore. And your grandson even refused the Shichibukai invitation."
Garp sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Ah... if only Luffy and Ace would listen to me."
Sengoku looked at his old friend, surprised by the resignation in his voice. "So you really don't plan to interfere?"
Garp shook his head. "Sengoku... just do what you have to do."
Seeing the legendary hero look so despondent, even Sengoku felt a pang of sympathy.
"If Aokiji goes... maybe your grandson still has a 1% chance of escaping."
Garp knew Sengoku was trying to comfort him.
1% chance?
Based on their performance at Loguetown, they wouldn't even have a 0.1% chance against an Admiral.
But he couldn't find a reason to protect Luffy anymore.
The whole world was watching. The word "Justice" on his back restrained him completely.
Not taking action personally was his final mercy toward Luffy.
...
Orange Town.
Our old acquaintance, the pork vendor, looked at his wife and sighed deeply.
Every time his young wife saw Ray's bounty poster, she acted like a starstruck teenager—hugging it, kissing it, then hanging it above their bed.
Although the bounty was on his benefactor, it was impossible not to feel a twinge of jealousy.
But after reading the news, his jealousy turned to concern.
The men of Orange Town, avid followers of world news, had reached a unanimous conclusion.
'The Straw Hat Pirates... this time, they won't escape the disaster.'
The butcher gazed out the window.
"Benefactor... a 450 million Belly bounty... that's just insane."
...
Windmill Village.
A woman as sturdy as an ox, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, wore a deeply troubled expression.
Usually, Dadan would be overjoyed whenever Luffy's bounty increased.
But today, her heart was heavy.
"Luffy... 450 million... and you're carrying the Devil Child, a ticking time bomb. How are you going to survive this?"
She lit one cigarette after another, filling the mountain cabin with smoke.
"Hey, Garp... if you really care about your grandson, you'd better do something. Otherwise, I'll never let you hear the end of it!"
But Dadan knew Garp too well.
When forced to choose between justice and family, the Marine Hero would likely choose to do nothing at all.
...
Kaya and Merry in Syrup Village.
Nojiko and Genzo in Cocoyashi.
The chefs at the Baratie.
Doctor Kureha on Drum Island.
Across the seas, everyone whose lives had been touched by the Straw Hats looked at the sky, worried about where the wind would take them next.
...
On a deserted island in the middle of the sea.
A tall, slender man stood alone.
He was nearly three meters tall, exuding an aura of bone-deep coldness.
He held the new bounty posters of the Straw Hat Pirates in a hand that could freeze the ocean.
"Nico Robin... have you truly joined them?"
Aokiji's breath misted in the air.
"You should know... you are a cursed star, destined to bring calamity to anyone who harbors you."