Nicole Robin

Thud!

Petals suddenly appeared behind Cobra, gathering into a pair of fair, delicate hands. The pale arms struck Cobra on the neck, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.

A tall, voluptuous beauty emerged from around the corner of the royal mausoleum passage. She wore a Western-style sun hat, a vest, leather skirt, and white coat. Her skin was pale and smooth, and she carried herself with a dashing, heroic air. She slowly stopped three meters in front of Rody, looking at him with some excitement.

"Devil Child, Nico Robin!"

"What is it? You came all this way to stand before me, yet you have nothing to say?" Rody asked with a smile, looking down at the tall beauty before him as he stroked his chin.

At that, Robin's expression turned excited. She quickly asked Rody, "Mr. Rody, it is a great honor that you know my name, but could you tell me how you knew there was a Poneglyph in Alabasta's royal mausoleum? And how did you know what was written on it? Can you decipher Poneglyphs too?"

For Nico Robin, who had borne an enormous bounty since the age of eight for being able to read Poneglyphs, fleeing alone from Marines and bounty hunters from place to place, deciphering Poneglyphs had become her only motivation to keep living.

"I truly cannot understand people like you. You risk your lives over words left behind by losers from centuries ago. But even if you learn the truth, what then? Those who left those words behind were losers in the end."

"No matter what filthy, despicable methods the Five Elders or Imu used to defeat the Great Kingdom, victory was victory."

"The Great Kingdom... the Five Elders... Imu... what exactly are they? You must know the history... Please... please tell me what happened during the Void Century. I beg you... tell me everything." Robin excitedly grabbed Rody's shoulders. Tears burst from her eyes as she raised her head and looked at him pleadingly.

"Tch. No matter the woman, crying never makes her look beautiful." Rody reached out and gently caressed Robin's face, wiping away the flood of tears with his thumb. "Let me see what you are willing to give for the belief in your heart!"

"As long as I possess it, you may take anything," Robin said firmly as she looked at Rody. After twenty years of constantly hiding, constantly betraying others or being betrayed by them, she would have killed herself long ago if not for deciphering Poneglyphs, if not for the scholars of Ohara.

"Is that so? That was a resolute answer. Then let me see whether your heart is truly as steadfast as you claim!" As he spoke, Rody gently placed a large hand on Robin's full, firm breast and gave it a squeeze. Smiling, he said, "Very nice. Full, firm, and soft."

Feeling the hand kneading her chest, Robin revealed a calm smile. She took Rody's other hand and placed it against her chest as well. "If you want it, then as long as you tell me the truth of history, from this day onward, my body—everything I have—will belong to you."

"What a fine proposal..."

"Then can you tell me..." Robin smiled joyfully, but in the next instant, Rody's fingers suddenly sharpened. His pointed nails pierced Robin's chest. Before she could even feel the pain, his sharp fingers had already penetrated her breast and pulled out her still-beating heart.

"What a perfect heart."

I'm going to die... He clearly promised me... How could he do this... I was so close to learning the historical truth I had pursued all my life... Everything was within reach... How could this be... This really is...

As she looked at the fresh, beating heart in Rody's hand, Robin felt her consciousness gradually fading. She slowly closed her eyes. "Perhaps... it is better this way... Let it end like this..."

"Mmph!"

Robin let out a frightened gasp and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a massive Poneglyph. She reached out and touched her beating heart.

"I'm not dead?"

"So this is what it feels like to be alive?"

"It's wonderful!"

After savoring the vitality brought by her heartbeat, Robin looked around. She was in a palace, its walls covered in relief carvings recording the successive kings of Alabasta. She was leaning against one of the palace walls, covered by a coat. Before her stood the enormous square stone monument of Alabasta that recorded Pluton's location.

"How does being alive feel?" Rody asked as he walked out from behind the square stone monument in front of Robin.

"Wonderful. It feels like being reborn."

"But I remember... didn't you take out my heart? How could..." Robin looked at Rody with a puzzled expression.

"My ability can save anyone so long as they have not completely died. Even if they have only the slightest trace of life left, I can bring them back," Rody said.

"What... a powerful ability..." Robin sighed after hearing his explanation. She stood up from the ground, and the coat covering her fell away. The clothing over her chest was torn, exposing her full, alluring breasts.

"A splendid sight!"

"Is that so? Then I am truly honored to receive Lord Rody's praise!" Robin said calmly as she slowly buttoned up the white coat she wore.

"What a pity!" Rody withdrew his gaze and looked toward the enormous square stone monument in the royal mausoleum. "Does this record Pluton's location? I truly cannot understand a word of it!"

Robin slowly walked to Rody's side. Looking at the gigantic monument that recorded the ancient weapon Pluton, she turned to him in surprise. "You cannot read the ancient script? Then were you lying when you said you knew Pluton's location?"

"Pluton is in Wano Country, in the second half of the Grand Line. Am I wrong?" Rody said casually. He truly did not care about ancient weapons; Rody preferred fighting others with his own strength.

"It seems Lord Rody truly does know!" Robin let out a sigh of relief. She slowly wrapped her arms around Rody's arm and said, "Lord Rody, I am yours now. Can you tell me the truth of history?"

"Based on the intelligence I obtained, before the World Government was established around eight hundred years ago, there was once a powerful Great Kingdom. Relying on its immense strength and bold character, it governed the world of that time. Later, Imu joined forces with the ancestors of the other Celestial Dragons and overthrew it through some shameful means, then established the current World Government."

"When the Great Kingdom was defeated, it left behind Poneglyphs. They recorded the powerful ancient weapons, as well as the despicable methods the ancestors of the first Celestial Dragons used to destroy the Great Kingdom."

"The Five Elders destroyed Ohara because they did not want you to learn or spread the fact that filthy and despicable means had been used when the World Government was established."