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Chapter 121: Robin Joins the Crew
The next day.
At daybreak, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the thin clouds over the Alabasta desert and illuminated a humble tent nestled between the dunes, the Straw Hat Pirates erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
"Ganyu, you're finally back!"
After a whole day of separation, the companion they had been thinking of constantly had finally returned in the morning. Even Luffy, who had been sound asleep, woke with a start and lunged toward Ganyu with a face full of excitement. Ganyu had intended to hug him back; in her view, it was perfectly normal for friends to embrace to express their joy after a long separation. However, Sanji clearly didn't share this sentiment. Unable to bear the sight of his goddess hugging another man, he delivered a mid-air kick that sent Luffy flying.
"Sanji, why did you kick Luffy away all of a sudden?" Ganyu frowned, looking at Sanji with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Because that guy was trying to hug you!" Sanji explained with righteous indignation. "How could I possibly let him do such... such intimate things!"
But as he spoke, he suddenly realized Ganyu's expression wasn't quite right. A thought flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly asked tentatively, "Could it be... Ganyu-san actually doesn't mind that kind of behavior?"
"No, of course I don't mind," Ganyu nodded, her tone natural. "What's wrong with a hug between comrades? Luffy was just happy to see me."
Her words were so open and natural that Sanji was momentarily left speechless. But he quickly adjusted his mindset. His eyes lit up, he spread his arms wide, and wore what he believed to be his most gentle and handsome smile. "Since Ganyu-san doesn't mind, then as a fellow comrade, I—"
"No."
Ganyu cut him off instantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest to make a very clear "X" sign. "Sanji, you're definitely thinking about something impure. Unlike Luffy, I will not hug you."
Crack.
Sanji petrified on the spot. His knees gave way, and he sank into the sand. He seemed to lose all color, turning into a desolate, gray statue.
"Weird, this guy didn't get frozen, did he?" Zoro asked in confusion as he stepped out of the tent and saw the scene.
Everyone else was immersed in the joy of Ganyu's return; no one paid any mind to the heartbroken cook. Except for one person—Robin—who had deliberately trailed behind Ganyu, waiting until everyone's attention was on the adeptus before slowly approaching.
Kneeling in the sand, heartbroken Sanji was immersed in the massive blow of being rejected by Ganyu. The world before him was gray and bleak. But suddenly, a pair of legs appeared in his field of vision. They were long, slender, perfectly shaped legs with wheat-colored skin, standing less than a meter in front of him.
Whoa.
Almost instantly, Sanji's gaze was overtaken by an emotion called "lust." He subconsciously gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing as his eyes uncontrollably traveled up those beautiful legs. Long pants hugged her toned calves, leading up to the graceful curves of her thighs, a slender waist, a full chest, and finally, a beautiful face that looked somewhat familiar. She was looking down at him with a smile, her expression blooming like a flower.
"You... Y-You are..." Sanji's voice trembled with excitement. "The beautiful big sister who boarded our ship that day!"
His shout drew everyone's attention. Upon seeing Robin's memorable face, the atmosphere froze instantly, followed by a sudden shift in reactions. Nami immediately hid behind Ganyu, grabbing the bewildered Chopper along the way. Usopp frantically fumbled for his slingshot, his hands slipping several times and nearly dropping it, until a hand that appeared out of nowhere steadied it for him.
"Th-Thanks..." Usopp thanked subconsciously, but he froze mid-sentence. He slowly turned his head to look at the hand "growing" out of his own shoulder—a hand clearly not his own—and his eyes widened. "Aaaaaah—ghost!"
Usopp let out a miserable scream and fainted into the sand, playing dead. Zoro was also preparing to draw his blades, his right hand already on the hilt. But he paused, realizing that when Ganyu walked in earlier, this black-haired woman seemed to have been following not far behind her.
Did they come together?
Only Luffy looked at Robin with a face full of confusion. He pointed at her, turned back to his crewmates, and asked, "Who's she?"
Having not seen her for days, Luffy had evidently forgotten Robin completely.
"Idiot! She's that woman! The one who came on our ship and tried to give us the Eternal Pose!" Usopp sprang up from the ground and hid behind Zoro.
"Oh—" Luffy dragged out the sound, clapping his hands in realization. "She's that nice person!"
He remembered it all now. That day at Whiskey Peak, this black-haired woman had boarded the Going Merry. Not only did she not attack them, but she also left them an Eternal Pose pointing to Alabasta. From his perspective, she was definitely a good person.
"Right, that's her... Wait, no!" Nami poked her head out from behind Ganyu and shouted, "Why would you think she's a good person?!"
Robin herself was slightly puzzled by this. She looked up at Luffy, curiosity in her eyes, seemingly expecting an interesting answer from the Straw Hat captain.
Instead, Luffy scratched his head, thought seriously for a moment, then spread his hands. "Uh... I don't know, I think I forgot."
"Idiot!" The crew shouted in unison, utterly speechless.
Once everyone calmed down, Ganyu stepped forward and naturally took Robin's hand. The gesture made Robin stiffen slightly, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes before she regained her composure. Under Robin's slightly bewildered gaze, Ganyu led her straight to Luffy.
"Her name is Nico Robin," Ganyu said clearly and calmly. "She is Crocodile's partner, the Vice President of Baroque Works."
The atmosphere tensed up again at these words. But what Ganyu said next stunned everyone.
"Now, she wants to join us temporarily. Luffy, do you agree?"
Silence. Only the rustling sound of the morning desert wind blowing over the dunes could be heard. Luffy paused, his gaze sweeping over Ganyu's face, then looking at Robin a couple of times. No one knew what he was thinking, but before long, he nodded.
"Sure!"
"Hmm?" Even Ganyu hadn't expected Luffy to agree so quickly. She blinked. "You agreed that fast?"
She knew Luffy likely wouldn't refuse, but she certainly didn't expect him to agree so decisively without asking a single question.
"Yeah! Why did you just agree like that!" Nami rushed over furiously and bonked Luffy on the head. She wanted to give the other person a hit too, but seeing it was Ganyu, she weakly retracted her fist and instead reached out to ruffle Ganyu's hair. It wasn't that she didn't dare to hit her; she just couldn't bear to.
"Ganyu, why did you go out and bring back a woman of unclear background?" Nami stared warily at Robin, feeling that this bad woman must have deceived the pure and kind-hearted Ganyu.
Robin smiled faintly, unaffected, and looked at Ganyu to see how she would handle it.
Ganyu thought for a moment and said, "Robin is actually like Vivi; she didn't join Baroque Works sincerely."
"Is that the lie she told you?" Nami wasn't swayed at all. In fact, she was even more certain Ganyu had been duped. As a former thief, Nami could tell at a glance that this mature black-haired woman had deep schemes and hid too many secrets in her eyes. She was definitely not someone a rookie pirate crew could easily handle. Letting her join would surely bring trouble.
"Uh, she didn't lie to me..." Ganyu felt helpless. She thought for a moment longer and realized that suddenly adding Robin was indeed hard for everyone to accept. She came up with a more rational explanation. "Robin's position in Baroque Works is the President's assistant, which means she knows all of Crocodile's plans. If she's willing to help us, our next moves will be much safer and smoother."
Sure enough, once this was said, Nami and Usopp, who had been the most resistant, hesitated.
"This..." Nami pondered for a moment, then pulled Ganyu aside and whispered in her ear, "But will she genuinely help us? What if she's a spy sent by Crocodile?"
Ganyu knew she would ask this, so she quickly explained, vaguely revealing some of Robin's identity. Nearby, Luffy leaned in close, eavesdropping on their conversation. Suddenly, hearing something, his eyes lit up. He moved in a flash, appearing beside Robin.
"Robin, you won't trick us, right?" Luffy asked bluntly.
Robin was stunned. She never thought anyone would ask her such a question. Her gaze lingered on Luffy's face. After a long pause, she nodded, her voice calm. "I won't."
Towards this particularly unique group of people, she truly had no ulterior motives. The reason she came with Ganyu was simply to see just how miraculous this crew was. Now, it seemed they were indeed very different.
"That's great! Can you tell me where that guy Crocodile is right now?" Luffy asked.
The question jumped topics so quickly that Robin didn't react immediately. Fortunately, she wasn't an ordinary person and managed to keep up with his train of thought. He intends to go straight to Crocodile to make trouble? With this group's strength, Crocodile might not necessarily be their match.
Robin thought for a moment, observed the surroundings, and pointed to the southeast. "In that direction, walk straight for about two hours. You should find him in a building with a crocodile statue."
"So he's there! I got it!" Luffy was overjoyed, a bright, excited smile blossoming on his face.
Then, under Robin's shocked gaze, he stretched his legs and launched himself like a spring. His figure moved ridiculously fast, leaving an afterimage in the desert. Only one sound echoed in everyone's ears:
"Crocodile, I'm coming!!!"
The crew stood dumbfounded.
He... what is he doing?
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