Nico Robin

El Drago's battered pirate ship was handed over to his pirate underlings as severance. What kind of trash were they? They'd be better off heading home to work the fields!

Mr. 11 had no bounty on his head, and as a member of Baroque Works, he had a certain degree of protection.

He kept insisting that he had a powerful organization backing him, threatening Daddy and demanding to be released.

In the end, Daddy simply slaughtered them all, christened the Sandai Kitetsu with their blood, then killed them and burned their ship. Leaving a towering column of black smoke behind, he walked away without a second thought.

After much pleading and with El Drago speaking up on his behalf, the swordsman Gollas was allowed to stay aboard. Daddy made him a trainee, just like the Cat Brothers.

Daddy had barged into the fight between El Drago and Mr. 11 without warning, and hadn't let Mr. 11 send word to Baroque Works, so they probably hadn't exposed themselves.

However, Mr. 11's target had been El Drago. If Baroque Works members discovered that El Drago was aboard Daddy's ship, they would certainly be able to guess what had happened.

After all, the vice president of Baroque Works was now Nico Robin, a clever woman.

Of course, Daddy wasn't afraid of them. By the time they came looking for him, who knew how strong he would have become?

Besides, apart from Crocodile, a Logia user with the Sand-Sand Fruit, Daddy didn't even consider Mr. 1, who had the Dice-Dice Fruit, a threat!

Although Daddy hadn't planned on crossing paths with Crocodile's organization so soon, things rarely went as planned.

Jango came sprinting over with a ringing Den Den Mushi and handed it to Daddy, accidentally pressing the answer button.

The Den Den Mushi then took on the appearance of a man wearing a cowboy hat. As it looked at Daddy, it transmitted some of his features to the Den Den Mushi on the other end.

"Hmm? An unfamiliar gentleman. This is troublesome.

"May I ask if the original owner of this Den Den Mushi is still alive? And would you be kind enough to tell me your name, sir?"

A sultry, magnetic woman's voice came from the Den Den Mushi. When the woman on the other end saw that it looked different from usual, she guessed that something had happened to her subordinate. After all, this sort of thing happened to her often.

Not every member of Baroque Works could complete an invitation mission safely.

"That guy's already in a sea beast's belly!"

Daddy was about to hang up. Baroque Works wasn't of much use to him right now. But when he heard Robin's familiar voice, he found himself wanting to chat a little longer.

Daddy admitted that he liked the fair-skinned, beautiful Robin from three years in the future, not the tanned, stick-thin Robin of today.

"That's unfortunate. You may have angered a powerful organization."

There was a hint of dark amusement in her voice. She didn't seem to care about Mr. 11's death, but she still had to uphold Baroque Works' reputation.

"Really? My Robin-chan! Greetings from Ohara!

"Besides, there's no need to tell that crocodile about the death of a nobody like him, right?"

Daddy broke into a rare, cheerful smile. The Cat Brothers and Zoro stared at him, their eyes wide.

This wasn't normal. Not normal at all!

Why was Captain Daddy laughing as he chatted with an unfamiliar woman? There had to be something going on between them.

Kuro quietly committed Robin, Ohara, and crocodile to memory. He had a feeling they were important pieces of information.

"...Who are you?"

Nico Robin asked gravely. The composure in her voice was gone, and there was even a hint of panic. She hadn't expected this stranger from the East Blue to know about her and Sand Crocodile's identities and secrets.

If word got out that she was the Devil Child, she would be on the run again. It would never end.

"Just think of me as a stranger who knows a great deal about you. I really like the you of the future! I look forward to meeting you!"

Daddy laughed and hung up. He wanted Nico Robin to let her imagination run wild, stirring her emotions and making her come looking into him and draw closer.

But the next moment, Daddy sensed that something was off. Every crew member was looking at him strangely.

"I really like the you of the future! Hahaha! That's hilarious!"

Zoro, the heartless, directionally challenged Mosshead, had no tact at all. He started teasing Daddy outright, clutching his stomach as he laughed hysterically.

But it really was the first time he'd seen Daddy act so mushy. He couldn't help himself!

The others were holding back their laughter too, but none of them dared actually provoke the captain!

Daddy even blushed a little for once. Damn Den Den Mushi!

But his face soon darkened. He drew the Sandai Kitetsu and slowly walked toward Zoro. Then he started slashing at the Mosshead!

Restoring the captain's dignity couldn't wait!

Meanwhile, in Alabasta on the Grand Line,

Nico Robin was feeling a little restless. Her identity had been exposed again. How could someone from the East Blue, the Weakest Sea, know about her and Crocodile?

She immediately began looking into recent East Blue news, hoping to find out who the person on the other end was!

She checked Mr. 11's invitation mission, then carefully examined the information on El Drago. When she saw the ugly face on his wanted poster,

she thought, There was no way a rough-looking man like that had the youthful voice she'd just heard!

"Could Mr. 11 have been intercepted and killed by someone from another organization?"

Nico Robin looked into El Drago's history next and discovered that there was no way this pirate could have learned anything about her and Crocodile.

"Who is he?!"

Nico Robin really wanted to go to the East Blue and find this mysterious man. Not only might he reveal her secrets at any time, but he also seemed to know a great deal about her—and perhaps even about Ohara.

That made her intensely curious.

Robin looked at the various matters concerning Baroque Works. She couldn't get away to go to the East Blue. It would have been easier if that man had been on the Grand Line.

Looking at the Den Den Mushi in her hand, she decided to test him again when she had the time.

Since the other person had hung up first, it meant he didn't want to talk to her right now. She would have to find another time.

Aboard the Bezan Black,

Zoro had a pair of black eyes, and his mouth was bruised purple-black from the beating. The other crew members looked at Daddy, completely unharmed, and finally understood what a captain's authority meant!

Captain Daddy's defense was too absurd. Nobody could get through his invincible defenses!

"Damn it, turtle-shell Daddy! I'll cut you down someday!"

The Mosshead Zoro grimaced in pain, but still refused to back down, continuing to make threats.

El Drago was already preparing to challenge Zoro and Kuro, so he could establish his place aboard the ship.

Although he couldn't beat Daddy, he at least had to keep those two in line. Otherwise, how could he get by?