Adrian had originally planned to sail to the Kingdom of Alabasta
to find Crocodile and "perform his professional duties."
But there was one annoying problem:
He had completely forgotten where Crocodile's main base was located.
Of course—
he could find it on his own,
but it would take unnecessary time.
Now, however, the problem had solved itself.
Nico Robin had walked straight into his hands.
And since she was Baroque Works' top agent,
she naturally knew where Crocodile's headquarters was.
Perfect.
Though Crocodile's strength had plunged drastically after his humiliation against Whitebeard—
so much so that by the time he fought Luffy,
he couldn't even use Haki anymore—
he was still a Logia user.
A Sand-Sand Fruit user,
even weakened,
was still at least Citycrusher-level.
Which made him a very suitable target.
Robbing a Citycrusher-level opponent meant at least 10,000 Reputation Points.
Not bad.
These days, Adrian no longer bothered with weaklings.
The stronger the target,
the bigger the payoff.
One high-value job
was worth ten—no, a hundred—ordinary ones.
Thus Crocodile was lucky enough to become Adrian's next chosen prey.
And besides—
Crocodile had been bleeding Alabasta dry for years.
He had accumulated unimaginable wealth.
Even though Adrian had looted Arlong's entire hoard last time,
money was not something he would ever reject.
Especially since he planned to upgrade his fleet.
The Merry was fine for now
—but that was only temporary.
As his crew grew larger,
the Merry would become cramped.
He needed space.
Lots of it.
A ship was like a house—
a hundred square meters couldn't compare to a thousand,
let alone ten thousand.
He planned to visit Water 7
to obtain several large ships.
Not just for himself,
but also to house the countless captives he would be kidnapping in the future.
And where was the best shipbuilding location in the world?
Of course—Water 7.
Which was why he had already purchased a permanent Log Pose pointing there.
…
Meanwhile.
Nico Robin, sitting there in handcuffs, was feeling absolutely miserable.
She had originally only wanted to take a look—
to see what kind of man this "Fifth Emperor" truly was.
Being captured wasn't even a thought in her mind.
Strong men usually had some level of dignity.
Why would a powerhouse bother with a small fry like her?
That was the reason she believed she'd be safe.
Clearly…
she had overestimated him.
Hearing Adrian's casual remarks,
she instantly understood his goal:
He was after Crocodile.
And he was troubled about Crocodile's base location.
So she arrived—
just in time to deliver herself into his hands.
Realizing this…
was deeply, painfully stupid.
But caught as a prisoner,
she had completely forgotten to wonder
how he even recognized her as Crocodile's subordinate.
Her identity in Baroque Works
had been kept deeply hidden for years.
Almost nobody leaked information.
That was why she had remained safe all this time.
…
"Enough nonsense," Adrian said lightly.
"Take me to Crocodile.
If you do, I might consider letting you join my bandit crew.
You'll keep your life.
If not—well, you know the consequences."
A simple threat.
A reasonable threat.
A terrifyingly effective threat.
"The famous Adrian is inviting me?
How could I refuse?"
Robin replied instantly—
not even one second of hesitation.
She didn't even pretend to struggle with the choice.
Her "loyalty" to Crocodile had always been superficial.
They merely used each other.
After years of betrayal,
years of being hunted,
there was no way she could offer anyone genuine loyalty.
That kind of trust didn't exist for her.
Not yet.
At least—that was how she saw it.
"Crocodile must be blessed to have such a devoted subordinate,"
Adrian said with an amused smile.
Not even a heartbeat of hesitation before selling him out.
Truly impressive.
"Since I've chosen to join you, Captain…
could you perhaps…?"
Robin raised her cuffed hands,
the metal clinking softly.
Message received.
"Nami, remove them."
"Yes."
Nami obeyed immediately,
unlocking the handcuffs that had barely been on for a few minutes.
Clink.
The cuffs hit the floor.
"Welcome to the crew," Adrian said casually.
A simple greeting—
but appropriate for a new member of his bandit team.
Robin smiled again.
Compared to Crocodile,
the man before her—
who had kidnapped Garp's grandson,
fought Marines and Admirals head-on,
and walked away alive—
was a far more reliable protector.
His danger far exceeded hers.
His power far overshadowed Crocodile's.
This was the kind of strong backing
she had been searching for all these years.
And more importantly—
he seemed completely uninterested in her archaeologist identity.
All he wanted
was to continue his career as a criminal.
Which meant
she was probably safe.
For now.
…
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