Robin's calm gaze finally revealed barely suppressed panic, and the rise and fall of her conspicuous chest plainly exposed the unease in her heart.
"Shut up!"
A sharp cry came from Robin.
With that cry, two fair female arms suddenly sprouted from Garen's shoulder armor.
Though those arms looked delicate and weak, they possessed frightening destructive power.
The instant they appeared, they wrapped around Garen's unarmored neck and ruthlessly used a lethal joint lock on the most vulnerable part of the human body.
With a crack, Garen's head was twisted a full ninety degrees.
"Is he dead?"
Crocodile was so astonished that he nearly dropped his cigar.
"Nope."
It was Garen himself who answered.
Without a care, he twisted his dislocated head back into place, shook his completely unharmed neck twice, and finally chuckled.
"What a waste. Your Flower-Flower Fruit would make an excellent massage technique."
The bizarre sight made Robin's expression change, and it made Crocodile even more wary of this mysterious man.
Garen merely continued smiling.
"Even if I shut up now, it won't matter. I recorded several similar videos in advance and left them with my subordinates."
"Send any one of them out, and it'll be enough to bring down a Buster Call and CP0."
"You—"
Crocodile gritted his teeth and forced out a question. "How did you know?"
"That isn't important."
Garen casually waved a hand.
"What matters is, do you still dare attack me now?"
He smiled like a villain whose scheme had succeeded—gleeful, twisted, and thoroughly hateable.
Crocodile was nearly angered into kicking up another sandstorm.
He truly did not dare.
Nico Robin was already someone the World Government was determined to kill. Crocodile, whose ambitions had swelled beyond control, had not only taken in the Devil Child but had also actively used Robin's