Marked Blondie · Inviting Robin

After walking a few steps, he said to Little Bean in his mind, "Mark that blond punk on the map and save his location data. He may be a thug, but he has a sense of honor and is generous to his subordinates. He's useful."

"Marked: Lilac Gang member (blond). Location data saved. Loyalty assessment: no data available."

This was a new map feature Yang Yunzhi had only recently discovered—he had no idea when it had been added. He could add notes beside white dots, directly mark locations on the map, and name places. He could also use a ruler to measure distances and draw shapes to calculate areas. There were many scattered features, and he was still slowly figuring them out.

After leaving the alley and returning to the main street, Robin immediately said coldly, "How much longer are you planning to keep your arm around me?"

Not only did Yang Yunzhi not let go, he held her even tighter. "You're my girlfriend. Of course I'll hold you for as long as I want."

"You..." A flicker of anger flashed through Robin's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

They were on the street now, with too many eyes around. It was inconvenient for her to make a move.

Besides, she was curious—who was this man? Why was he looking for her? Why had he "saved" her this way?

Robin decided to wait and see.

Then she discovered that Yang Yunzhi was heading straight toward the inn where she was staying.

How did he know?

Robin's heart tightened, but her expression remained calm.

Fine. Once we're inside the room, let's see how I deal with you.

Did he really think my waist was so easy to touch?

Each of them harbored their own thoughts as they silently walked to the entrance of the inn.

Yang Yunzhi casually pushed the door open and went in, as though he were the guest staying there.

The receptionist looked up at them but said nothing. In an inn like this, taking someone back to one's room was nothing unusual.

They went upstairs and arrived outside Room 203.

Robin took out her key and opened the door. Yang Yunzhi followed her inside.

The door closed behind them.

Robin turned around. The gentle expression on her face vanished instantly, replaced by icy vigilance. "Now, can you tell me who you are?"

Instead of answering, Yang Yunzhi looked around the room.

It was very simple: one bed, one table, one chair, and one wardrobe.

Several books sat on the table, all about the history of the spice trade and ancient sailing records.

As expected of Robin. No matter where she went, she always bought books and read them.

What interested her was not merely the Void Century, but all of history.

I wonder if she'd be interested in Fifteen Years of the Wanli Reign if I talked to her about it?

"Nico Robin." He finally spoke, his voice calm. "The last scholar of Ohara. Devil Child. Bounty: 79 million Beli."

Robin's pupils suddenly contracted.

The next second, the shadows in the room seemed to come alive. Four arms stretched out from the walls, floor, and ceiling, grabbing at Yang Yunzhi from four directions!

But Yang Yunzhi moved faster.

He did not even move his feet. He merely raised his right hand and drew a circle in front of himself.

Golden sparks burst forth, and a one-meter-wide portal appeared out of thin air, swallowing all the arms reaching for him.

The other end of the portal opened in the corner of the room. The arms emerged from there and grabbed nothing.

Robin's expression changed. "A Devil Fruit user..."

"The Door-Door Fruit." Yang Yunzhi smiled. "By the way, that was the Flower-Flower Fruit just now, wasn't it? Clever, but it may not be enough against me."

He did not continue attacking. Instead, he walked over to the table, pulled out the chair, and sat down. "Don't be nervous. I'm not here to capture you. On the contrary, I'm here to invite you."

"Invite me?" Robin sneered. "A World Government lapdog thinks he has the right to invite me?"

"I'm not with the World Government." Yang Yunzhi shook his head. "At least, not entirely."

He reached into his clothes. The movement made Robin wary again, but Yang Yunzhi merely took out an identification card and placed it on the table.

"Marine lieutenant, Yang Yunzhi," he said. "Of course, that's only my public identity."

Robin did not touch the card. She simply stared into Yang Yunzhi's eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want to build an organization," Yang Yunzhi said frankly. "An organization capable of changing this world. I need talented people—people who are intelligent, resilient, who have experienced darkness yet still yearn for the light."

"People like you, Nico Robin. The last spark of Ohara, someone who can read the Poneglyphs, someone who survived ten years of pursuit and flight."

Robin's breathing quickened slightly. "You know about the Poneglyphs?"

"I know more than you imagine," Yang Yunzhi said. "I know why Ohara was destroyed, what the World Government fears, and what may have happened during the Void Century. Though the truth is still incomplete, I'm searching for the answers."

He paused and looked directly at Robin. "And you've been searching for those answers alone, haven't you? Ten years. What have you found? And what have you lost?"

Those words struck the softest part of Robin's heart.

Ten years.

For more than three thousand six hundred days and nights, she had drifted through the West Blue, from one island to another, evading pursuit and searching for clues about the Poneglyphs. She had encountered people who used her, people who betrayed her, and people who wanted to kill her.

What had she found? A few fragments of Poneglyphs and scattered pieces of truth.

What had she lost? Her homeland, her family, her childhood, and her trust in humanity.

"Why should I believe you?" Robin's voice trembled slightly. "Because of that pretty speech you just gave?"

"No." Yang Yunzhi stood and walked to the window, his back facing Robin. "I don't need you to trust me right now. I can give you time to observe and verify."

He turned around, his gaze sharp as a blade. "But I need to tell you this, Nico Robin. If you keep running alone like this, you'll never find the truth. The World Government is too powerful. You need companions, strength, and an organization that can protect you and support your pursuit of history."

"And I can give you those things."

The room fell silent.

Robin looked at the young man before her. He appeared to be only around twenty, yet his eyes held a depth and resolve beyond his years. His words, the ability he had displayed, that matter-of-fact confidence of his...

"If you're lying to me," Robin said slowly, "I'll make you pay."

Of course Yang Yunzhi knew that, despite her words, Robin had not truly accepted him. In her not particularly long life, she had accepted invitations like this countless times.

After all, betrayal would come eventually.

But he did not care. He was not relying on his personal charm. He knew that his feelings for Robin were sincere!

"If I'm lying to you," Yang Yunzhi said with a smile, "you can use the Flower-Flower Fruit to snap my neck while I'm sleeping. Or, more simply—once you join my organization, you'll discover that I have countless ways to monitor and restrict members. If I truly wanted to harm you, there'd be no need to go through all this trouble."

That answer caught Robin off guard.

It was terrifyingly candid.

"Your organization... what is it called?" she asked.

"It has no name," Yang Yunzhi said. "An organization that truly wants to change the world should not have a name. A name means a label, and a label makes it easy to identify and track."

"We must be formless like water, everywhere like air. When our enemies try to investigate us, they will discover that we do not exist—yet we are everywhere."

Robin pondered those words, and a glimmer of interest flashed through her eyes.

Formless... everywhere...

"If I join," she finally said, "what would I need to do?"

Yang Yunzhi returned to the table and sat down again. "Help develop the organization, organize documents, handle personnel matters, gather intelligence, and sort intelligence. You can also do what you enjoy, such as studying history and interpreting texts. Our organization will do its best to help you collect Poneglyphs. And, of course, the most important thing—stay alive."

"Stay alive?"

"Yes." Yang Yunzhi spoke seriously. "Stay alive, become stronger, and then help more people stay alive. That is our organization's core goal: to create a world where everyone can live with dignity."

Robin remained silent for a long time.

Sunlight streamed through the window and cast mottled patches of light across the floor. The clamor of the street faintly drifted in, making the room's silence feel even deeper.

Ten years.

For the first time, someone had told her: I need you, not because you can interpret Poneglyphs, but because you are talented.

For the first time, someone had told her: You can live. You can live with dignity.

For the first time, someone had told her: Let's change this world together.

At first, when Yang Yunzhi invited her, she could have agreed without hesitation.

But now that Yang Yunzhi had shown his sincerity and described the organization's lofty ideals, Robin hesitated instead.

Yang Yunzhi noticed that the dot on the map, which had originally been red, had turned light green.

This meant Robin's hostility toward him had vanished, replaced by a faint fondness.

Is this girl too easy to fool? I've only said a few words!

"I need time to think," Robin finally said.

"Fine." Yang Yunzhi stood up. "I'll give you three days. I'll be staying on Cinnamon Island during those three days. You can observe me, investigate me, and verify what I said."

He walked to the door, then looked back. "By the way, I held you just now to get away. Sorry. But honestly—"

He smiled. "Your waist really is very slim."

The door closed.

Robin stood where she was, looking at the tightly shut door with a complicated expression.

After a long while, she sighed softly, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain.

On the street, Yang Yunzhi was heading toward the docks. His steps were calm and unhurried, as if everything that had just happened had merely been an everyday matter.

Robin's fingertips lightly brushed her waist.

It seemed to still retain the warmth of that man's palm.

"Yang Yunzhi..." she murmured his name. "Who exactly are you?"

Meanwhile, Yang Yunzhi had already entered another alley.

He said to Little Bean in his mind:

"Monitor Robin's location in real time. Also, look into that blond thug's detailed information."

"Understood, Master."

"And," Yang Yunzhi added, "prepare to establish a second intelligence node on Cinnamon Island, mainly responsible for intelligence matters across the Spice Islands. Have Da Limu serve as the node administrator and begin training local intelligence agents."

"It is already underway. Da Limu is receiving Bezos's training materials through DD Chat."

Good. Yang Yunzhi left the alley and looked toward the bustling street.

The scent of spices remained rich, and the sunlight was just right.

Three days later, he would have an answer.

No matter what that answer was, this trip to the West Blue had already been worthwhile.