Recruiting Robin Was No Easy Task

What?!

A look of shock appeared in Robin's eyes. She knew Bon Clay's strength quite well. Yet he had been utterly helpless against this man!

Lu Zhuo acted as if he had done something trivial. He rose slowly, straightened his slightly disheveled hair, and smiled at Robin.

"Now then, Miss Robin, would you come down so we can discuss you joining our pirate crew?"

Now that she knew how strong Lu Zhuo was, Robin realized she had no chance of escaping him. The perceptive woman quickly gathered her thoughts, leaped down, and walked over to Lu Zhuo with composure.

Looking at Nico Robin, calm and perceptive once more, Lu Zhuo thought she was at her most beautiful like this—on par with Nami.

Then he glanced at her chest. Hmm, it didn't look any smaller than Nami's.

Noticing Lu Zhuo's gaze, Robin blushed faintly and said coolly, "By working with Crocodile, I can get what I want. Joining your crew would offer the same thing, so your terms don't seem particularly appealing."

Lu Zhuo smiled, then his expression suddenly changed. He drew his sword and instantly held it to Robin's neck. The sinister aura made her shiver.

"Don't forget, you're in my hands now. You're in no position to negotiate with me."

Robin stared into Lu Zhuo's eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting in a faint smile.

"Heh. If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it already. You wouldn't have waited until now, right? Since you want me to join your crew so badly, there must be something I have that you need. And what could I possibly have that would interest someone like you?"

Lu Zhuo was left speechless by her words. Robin really was too clever.

He put away his sword with a headache and patted his forehead, looking helpless.

He couldn't very well say, "I like you and want you to be my woman," could he?

That would surely scare Robin away... And Nami was still right there.

"Fine, I do have... ahem, an ulterior motive. You know about Pluton's blueprints, right? They're written in Ancient Script, and I need you to decipher them..."

Robin's heart gave a start, and her pupils narrowed slightly. Pluton's blueprints?

"Hehehehe." She quickly regained her composure and giggled, looking quite adorable.

"In that case, we can discuss terms, can't we?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhuo drew a deep breath and said quietly, "Fine. I have something to offer that'll be hard for you to refuse. I know you want to find all the Poneglyphs. That's why you're working with Crocodile."

As he spoke, Lu Zhuo held up three fingers. "Not counting the one here, I know where the other three are. How does that sound? Is that enough?"

Robin chuckled, her eyes seeming to see right through Lu Zhuo.

"Those are just empty words. How am I supposed to believe you?"

"Uh..." Lu Zhuo slapped his forehead. He knew from the original story that there was one on Skypiea, one on Fish-Man Island, and one at the end of the Grand Line, on Laugh Tale, but he had no proof to back it up.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zhuo said seriously,

"Either way, you only know about the one here. Given your plan with Crocodile, it'll take at least three years before you can get your hands on a Poneglyph. But I can help you get one right now. And I can protect you, so you won't have to worry about the Marines hunting you down."

Robin considered this for a moment, then asked, "What makes you think you can protect me? You know who I am..."

Lu Zhuo waved a hand, cutting her off.

"Strength. With enough strength, I can protect you. I'm sure Crocodile has already heard about what happened here. So I'll beat him, and then you can come with me."

"Oh?" Robin's eyes flashed with surprise as she looked at Lu Zhuo. Though she had just witnessed his strength, she didn't believe he could defeat Crocodile, a Shichibukai with the Sand-Sand Fruit.

But Lu Zhuo seemed so confident...

"Fine. If you can beat Crocodile, I'll go with you."

After saying this, Robin looked over at Nami, who was watching her warily, and chuckled. "Looks like your little beauty has taken a dislike to me."

"Uh, Nami. From now on, she's your sister... Ahem, I mean, she's a member of the Holy Sword Pirates." Lu Zhuo wasn't sure whether he'd said it deliberately or by accident.

Robin giggled. How could she not see what Lu Zhuo was thinking? But she was extremely curious about Lu Zhuo, who had appeared out of nowhere and was so mysterious, even though they had only just met.

Curiosity could, to some extent, turn into affection.

Robin smiled lightly as she followed behind Lu Zhuo.

Little man, winning me over won't be that easy.

The group of two became a group of three, heading toward the forbidden grounds of the royal palace... the Royal Funerary Temple.

Of course, they ran into a few soldiers along the way. Robin and Lu Zhuo silently took care of them all.

When the Royal Funerary Temple was close at hand, Lu Zhuo narrowed his eyes and held Nami and Robin back. Staring at the yellow earth beneath his feet, he said, "Since you're here, why hide yourself? What's the point of letting people walk all over you from beneath their feet?"

As he spoke, Lu Zhuo threw Robin and Nami aside, then drew his sword in an instant.

A flash of swordlight streaked past, and the several spears of sand that had just surged up from beneath them shattered instantly.

The next moment, a figure slowly rose from underground, his body forming out of sand. It was none other than Crocodile!

Crocodile stared intently at Lu Zhuo and said in a low voice, "I really did underestimate you. You were after me from the start, weren't you? Tell me what you're after."

"Heh. You think too highly of yourself." Lu Zhuo scoffed. "I was only here to take Robin with me. But because of our agreement, now I have to beat you first..."

"Arrogant!" Crocodile roared. He sent a wave of sand into the air, where it formed a huge blade that slashed toward Lu Zhuo.

"Kid, you think beating one of my men means you can beat me? I've killed countless fools like you, fresh to the Grand Line and ignorant of their own limits!"

Lu Zhuo gripped his sword with both hands and stared coldly at Crocodile. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that in a fight... you shouldn't run your mouth?"

Void-Breaking Draw Sword Strike!

This was a powerful sword technique that Lu Zhuo had only been able to use after becoming a swordsman. As his blade scraped fiercely against its sheath, a powerful force surged into the sword.

At the instant he drew it, he used the pressure of the blade to amplify its power once more.

Back at sea, Lu Zhuo hadn't dared use the technique at full strength, afraid he might accidentally capsize his own ship. Now he could finally unleash it to his heart's content!

A silvery-white arc of sword energy, dozens of meters long, swept across the battlefield. It pulverized the huge sand blade and brought down countless nearby buildings.

Crocodile was shocked by the power of the strike. Just as his body turned to sand, the swordlight slashed into him.

A deafening boom shook the entire city, waking everyone from their sleep!