This was a couples' hotel located in a remote corner of Rainbase.
Bright sunlight filtered through the pink curtains, casting the entire room in an ambiguous, rose-colored hue.
A lone man and woman, a large bed, bondage... uh, is this the part where I say, "There ought to be a doujinshi about this"?
Looking at the muskets floating in the air, poised to strike, this was actually the first thought that crossed Robin's mind after waking up:
(Why did I agree to him back then?)
If this were the past, Robin wouldn't be caught dead agreeing to such an absurd wager. But somehow, this time, she had suffered a momentary lapse in judgment.
At this moment, the second-in-command of Baroque Works was lying on the soft, large bed, bound in an extremely shameful manner. This style of binding gave Robin a feeling of déjà vu.
(So the guy who tied up Miss Valentine back then... was him all along...)
Nico Robin took a deep breath, then feigned composure as she looked toward the Warlock sitting on the chair nearby.
As a woman, facing such a situation without changing her expression—it had to be said that Robin's psychological resilience was quite impressive.
"How is it? Our ship doctor's secret anesthetic feels pretty good, right?" Sherlock's face was calm.
"That card of yours was clearly the Seven of Diamonds." Robin looked perplexed, speaking each word with emphasis. "Didn't you say it was all down to luck?"
Pushing up his glasses, Sherlock briefly appraised the Demon Child, who was bound in a kikkou [turtle shell] tie. He had to admit, compared to Princess Vivi or the orange-loving assassin lady, this stunning mature beauty's figure was much more voluptuous and well-endowed. Furthermore, the strong contrast between her calm expression and the slightly shameful binding style created an intensely seductive allure.
"Look, didn't you cheat too? Did you forget that we are currently in a hostile relationship? You actually believed what I said?" Sherlock silently praised Robin's natural, inherent charm in his heart, then shook his head with a bit of amusement.
"Truly stupid."
"..." Robin was momentarily speechless. She had indeed naively believed him at the time. Then, Robin suddenly realized that ever since seeing this man with the silver-rimmed glasses again, she had inadvertently let down her guard, gradually relaxing her vigilance. Subconsciously, she had deemed him a person well worth trusting.
This could be considered a passive talent Sherlock had honed over many years in business—a powerful affinity bordering on hypnosis. It allowed him to be victorious in bloodless commercial wars. He could not only easily get along with others but also make people feel incredibly reassured by him, whether they were partners or enemies.
To his partners, he was the most reliable, security-inducing god-tier teammate.
To his enemies, he was like a sharp blade hidden in a sponge. Once you were deceived by his soft exterior, it meant you were not far from having your life taken by that razor-sharp edge.
Sometimes, this kind of indefensible knife was far more terrifying, far more lethal, than a blade that could cut through anything.
Even Robin, who had been on the run for nearly twenty years, had been muddled and led by the nose by Sherlock. By the time she came to her senses, the situation was already beyond salvation.
(What a terrifying man, Sarsalian Sherlock...) Robin lay on her side on the large bed, her expression looking a bit grim as she lowered her head. Her back was already damp with cold sweat. She hadn't expected that after fleeing for twenty years, she would actually fall into his hands this time.
"Alright, enough nonsense. My time is tight." Sherlock pushed up his glasses. "I have many questions to ask you, Nico Robin."
"You can choose to answer or not answer..."
The Royal Palace, Alubarna.
Squads of soldiers were patrolling everywhere with hurried expressions. Judging by their anxious looks, it seemed they were searching for something important.
"Damn it, why did the King disappear right when the army is about to march on Rainbase!" Chaka smashed his fist against a nearby pillar, his face looking exceptionally grim.
"Pell, who is best at finding things, went to Rainbase. Honestly, why hasn't he returned yet!"
"Master Chaka!" Just then, a soldier from the Royal Army ran in from outside, looking frantic.
"We found the King!"
Hearing this, Chaka let out a long sigh of relief. He was just about to say something when he noticed the soldier's expression was very wrong. Consequently, his heart, which had just relaxed, sank once again.
"Hey..." Chaka frowned slightly, asking in a low voice, "Has something happened to the King?"
"The King appeared just before the Royal Army set out for Rainbase," the soldier swallowed hard and continued, "He ordered the Royal Army to change their objective, march south, and attack the Rebel Army's headquarters, [Katorea]!"
"Now, 300,000 men are already marching south."
Boom! The soldier's words exploded in Chaka's mind like a bolt from the blue. He stumbled back a few steps, his face turning pale.
"No, that's impossible! The King clearly..." At this moment, Chaka suddenly recalled the words King Cobra had spoken before:
(Chaka, Pell, the country is the people's country. The country only truly exists because of the people...)
(The moment the Royal Army and the Rebel Army go to war, this country is finished...)
How could such a great monarch order the army to slaughter his own people!
(Impossible! That is absolutely not the King's order. It must be Crocodile's doing!)
Thinking of this, a realization dawned in Chaka's heart. His entire body trembled slightly with anger. He then took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and asked the soldier, "Can we order the Royal Army to return?"
"Well, Master Chaka..." the soldier said cautiously, "Because everyone has been bottling up anger against the Rebel Army for a long time, after the 'King' ordered the crusade against the rebels, they marched at full speed. We can't catch up to them now."
"Furthermore, without an order from the King or Master Igaram, those 300,000 Royal Army soldiers won't stop..."
"Igaram..." Thinking of his companion who had already died for the country, the light in Chaka's eyes instantly dimmed. He then raised his head and continued asking, "How many Royal Army troops are currently left in the capital?"
"Less than 2,000," the soldier replied hurriedly.
Since Cobra's plan at the time was to burn his bridges and fight Crocodile to the end, apart from leaving some soldiers to maintain order, everyone else had been incorporated into the lineup for the crusade against Rainbase.
"Have the residents in the city evacuate immediately. I have an extremely bad premonition!" After issuing the order, Chaka walked to the side, holding the railing as he looked up at the sky.
The sky was as sunny as usual, without a single cloud in sight. Yet, Chaka inexplicably felt that a massive, evil dark cloud was looming over the city, weighing down on people so heavily they couldn't breathe.
On a high earthen slope outside Alubarna.
"Hehehehe, looks like that dead okama Mr. 2 is actually quite reliable when handling things~"
A short, fat old woman who looked like a penguin held a pair of binoculars, looking at the billowing dust kicked up by the 300,000 Royal Army soldiers in the distance. She clicked her tongue in admiration.
"The war that was meant to happen will happen eventually, ahahaha!"
Beside her, a tall, obese man replied somewhat dully, "Hehehe—"
"I have to say, Mr. 0 really is a formidable schemer. Since the possibility of the Rebel Army initiating the attack was low, he switched to having the Royal Army start the war first. Truly too clever!"
"Hehehe—"
"Ugh, my back hurts~"
"Hehehe."
"Bastard! Mr. 4, hurry up and rub my back! Also, can you stop going 'He-hehe-'?!! ..."
"Hehehe."
Behind these two high-ranking Baroque Works assassins sat a middle-aged man bound securely with ropes. He was Vivi's father, the current King of Alabasta—Nefertari Cobra.
(Why... everyone is a part of this country, why must we kill each other!) The benevolent monarch looked at the dust gradually receding to the south, his heart feeling as if it were being cut by knives, bleeding.
(What exactly are you trying to do? Crocodile!)
In the sky above Rainbase.
Pell, transformed into a falcon, was circling. His sharp eagle eyes stared constantly at the ground below, seeming to wait for something.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Then, his entire body became like an arrow leaving the bowstring, diving straight down...
Meanwhile.
Outside the hotel where Sherlock was staying, several squads of Marines were quietly forming an encirclement.
"Um, Colonel Hina, are you sure the Warlock is in here?" Tashigi looked at the extremely ambiguous sign of the couples' hotel before her with a strange expression. She pushed up her glasses, her fair cheeks turning slightly red.
"That's right, Hina is certain!" Nodding, Black Cage Hina pulled down the sunglasses from her forehead, tightened her black leather gloves, and then ordered the two subordinates behind her: "Jango, Fullbody, you two and Tashigi watch the perimeter. You absolutely cannot let that Warlock escape!"
"Yes! Colonel Hina." x3
The three of them saluted with standard military posture and answered righteously.
Inside the room.
Robin looked at the spectacled man before her with a face full of shock. She hadn't said a single word just now, yet Sherlock, relying solely on the scope of his probing questions and the subtle changes in her expressions, had actually deduced the gist of Crocodile's upcoming plan.
(This man... is he a monster?) Robin thought secretly in her heart.
"So that's how it is. I was wondering why the bounty for me, someone who raided a Marine base, wasn't as high as yours, a woman who merely sank six warships." Sherlock pushed up his glasses, the corner of his mouth curving into a handsome arc.
"There is definitely something very special about you, Nico Robin."
"Although I'm still not too clear on the specific situation, no matter what..."
As Sherlock spoke, he stood up from the chair, walked to the center of the room, and looked calmly at the intellectual beauty who had no ability to resist.
"...You are the key to Crocodile's trump card."
BOOM!
Just as Sherlock's voice fell, a loud noise rang out. Under the force of a massive impact, the wooden door of the room instantly shattered into several pieces, splinters shooting everywhere.
A female Marine with pink hair, dressed in a crimson double-breasted suit, walked in slowly.
"I've finally caught you, Sarsalian..." Hina didn't even look at Robin lying to the side. Under her sunglasses, a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes stared tightly at the Warlock in front of her.
However, Sherlock's face showed not a trace of the surprise or fear he should have had. He nodded to Black Cage Hina with composure, then pointed to Nico Robin, who was in the kikkou bind nearby.
"You Marines move quite fast. Where is Colonel Smoker? I specifically prepared a [Big Gift] that could get him a promotion."
Robin's expression changed slightly. It should be known that compared to Sherlock, she wanted to fall into the hands of the Marines even less!
Subconsciously following the direction of Sherlock's finger, Hina's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of needlepoints.
"The Demon Child... Hina is shocked!" Hina's elegant eyebrows raised. Then, thinking no further, she reached out and pressed forcefully against the wall beside her.
—Black Cage!
Countless black iron bars extended from Hina's gloved palms. They slithered rapidly across the surfaces of the room like black snakes, finally weaving into a massive steel cage, trapping the one man and two women together within this prison.
"You can't fly away now, Sherlock. Surrender!" Black Cage Hina withdrew her hands, looking confident.
Sherlock examined the massive black cage and nodded in admiration. "Looking at your Fruit ability, you must be that Marine Headquarters Colonel, Black Cage Hina, right? I've heard a lot about you."
"But, don't you find it strange?" Gently pushing up his glasses, the Warlock's figure began to slowly fade before the astonished eyes of the two women.
"Since I knew you Marines would come, how could I not have prepared at least a little?" By the time the last word was spoken, Sherlock's figure had completely vanished.
Immediately following that, the sound of extremely dense gunfire and violent explosions rang out from outside the window.
"Damn it! I was careless. Hina is angry!" Only now did Black Cage Hina recall Smoker's warning—the Warlock's Devil Fruit ability was truly too tricky.
Not letting anger overwhelm her head, and knowing this operation had already failed, Hina first used her Fruit ability to subdue Robin, who had long since lost the ability to move, and then removed the Black Cage surrounding the room's surfaces.
"Nico Robin? What were you and the Warlock doing in here? Could it be..." Hina looked at the kikkou binding on Robin with a strange expression. That extremely shameful rope art made even a woman like her feel a bit flushed.
(I didn't expect the Warlock to look so refined and polite, yet have such unique tastes.)
"..." Perhaps sensing that the female Marine beside her was imagining some very rude and unhealthy things, Robin turned her head away in shame and indignation. In her heart, she had already snapped a certain spectacled man's neck a thousand times over.
"Colonel Hina..." Tashigi ran into the room in a hurry. "The Warlock escaped riding a big bird. It flew too high, we have no way to... Eh..."
The blue-haired glasses-girl looked at a certain intellectual beauty lying on her side on the bed. After standing dazed for a moment, her fair, pretty face instantly flushed red like a sunset. She hurriedly turned her head away, looking like, "To the pure me, this is truly too lewd!"
Clearly, this airheaded swordswoman had also gotten the wrong idea...
Heaven have mercy, the reason Sherlock had a soft spot for this binding method was entirely because it not only bound securely but also caused less constriction and pain, and allowed for accelerated blood circulation. He absolutely had no other thoughts!
(I will have my revenge!)
Nico Robin said this to herself in her heart. Even with a personality as easygoing and indifferent as hers, she truly couldn't endure facing these successive strange gazes any longer.
(Don't let me find out your weakness, Sarsalian Sherlock!)
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