Meeting Nico Robin

Vivi stared at Li Ziming, utterly baffled. She seemed to want to know how he knew her real name.

"Is something wrong?" Li Ziming asked, looking puzzled. He knew what she meant, but he pretended he had no idea.

"Who are you, really?" Vivi took a deep breath. "How do you know..."

"Shh!" Li Ziming suddenly appeared in front of her and gently pressed his right index finger to her lips.

Vivi felt the warmth of his finger, and her face flushed.

"On a beautiful night like this, wouldn't such a question spoil the mood?" Li Ziming gently drew her into his arms. "I know about your situation. Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. If you need help, you can come to me. Besides, I'm not the only one watching you."

Vivi trembled at his words. He clearly meant that someone else in Baroque Works knew she was a traitor. Fear spread across her face, but Li Ziming had pressed her head against his shoulder, hiding her expression from view. He held her so tightly that her trembling looked like an attempt to break free.

"Well? Aren't my arms warm?" Li Ziming asked with a wicked grin.

Vivi's face turned bright red. She shoved him away, but when he let go so easily, she felt oddly disappointed.

Li Ziming smiled. "If you ever need another hug, my arms are always open."

"Y-you bastard!" Vivi punched him, then hurried away.

"I've still got a way with women," Li Ziming told the vulture and the otter beside him as he leaned against the ship's rail.

The otter looked at him, sketchpad in hand, and worked on his portrait.

The vulture nodded, apparently impressed with Li Ziming.

"Are you done yet? I'm getting sleepy..." Li Ziming yawned.

The otter examined the drawing, compared it with Li Ziming, then nodded and bowed to him.

"No problem. It's just your job, right?" Li Ziming waved as the two animals known as Black Friday left. The sleepiness had vanished from his eyes. As a bartender accustomed to working late, he was usually most alert at night. He had only claimed to be tired to get them to leave.

Before long, the ship carrying Li Ziming reached the desert kingdom of Alabasta.

"So this is Baroque Works' headquarters?" Li Ziming stared at the enormous building before him. "Rainbase? What a strange name."

"As if you could understand the boss's thinking," R9 scoffed.

"Come on, let's go inside," Vivi said quickly, heading off the argument.

"Ladies first." Li Ziming gave Vivi a little bow, making her blush furiously.

"Hehe. What a gentleman." A sweet voice reached them. A woman stood before Li Ziming, wearing a white cowgirl hat, a vest, and fitted trousers. Her skin had a healthy, sun-kissed tone.

"If a bartender can't greet people with a smile, he'll end up with a drink thrown in his face," Li Ziming said helplessly, as though it had happened to him before.

"What an unpleasant customer that must have been." The beautiful woman smiled. "Now, follow me inside." She turned and entered the huge building behind her.

"Are we going to meet the boss?" Li Ziming recalled that Crocodile was supposed to be difficult to meet.

"Of course not." The woman, Nico Robin, shrugged. "Meeting Mr. 2 isn't that easy. You can call me the vice president, or Miss All Sunday."

"Vice president?" Li Ziming looked surprised, then delighted. "Does that mean our president is a gorgeous woman like you?"

"Ha! You can try guessing." Robin laughed at his antics.

"From your reaction, I'm guessing not." Li Ziming gave a wry smile, then lowered his voice until only Nico Robin could hear. "If Crocodile did turn into a woman, I bet she'd still be ruthless. Wouldn't you agree, Nico Robin?"

Robin's pupils contracted. She stared hard at Li Ziming, as though she could see right through him.

Seeing her alarmed expression, Li Ziming realized he enjoyed whispering a character's secrets to them and watching their reaction.

"What are you talking about?" Robin quickly regained her composure. Her false smile remained, though it looked painfully unnatural to Li Ziming.

"Just pretend I'm talking nonsense." Li Ziming shrugged.

"All right." Robin led Li Ziming, Vivi, and R9 into an office. She hung her hat on a coat rack and sat behind the desk. "R9, Miss Wednesday, you did well on this assignment. I'll make a note of it in your records. I'll notify you when there's another task. You may go." With that, Robin dismissed Vivi and R9.

Vivi shot Li Ziming an annoyed glare before storming out.

Li Ziming rubbed his nose helplessly. I haven't even done anything to Her Highness, have I? Being this charming is such a burden, he thought smugly.

At that moment, two hands appeared beside his neck and seized his throat.

"Who are you?" Robin stared at him darkly, as if one wrong answer would make her snap his neck.

To Robin's surprise, Li Ziming turned his head and sniffed the hands at his neck. "What a lovely floral scent," he said, looking entranced.

Robin controlled the hands grown by her Flower-Flower Fruit, and she could feel through them too. She usually shut out those sensations because they made her feel disoriented. This time was no different, yet watching Li Ziming's blissful expression made her feel as though he really were smelling her hands. She blushed and withdrew her ability, only to realize she had fallen for his trick.

Li Ziming swiftly appeared beside her. Merely placing a palm against Robin's back was enough to make her feel death looming.

"The Marine Six Powers?" Robin's voice trembled.

"That's right, but I'm not a Marine. My teacher only left me some notes, and I've learned just Soru and Geppo," Li Ziming said frankly. "I thought those two would work best with my Bomb-Bomb Fruit."

Robin looked doubtful. He did not seem to have come specifically for her, but that did not mean she trusted him.

"I want to open a bar on Whiskey Peak. If there's a job, you can notify me. Otherwise, I'll just be a bar owner. What do you say? Agree, and I'll keep your secret. I'll even let you drink at my bar for free."

As if I care about your drinks! Robin raged inwardly. Her expression did not change, though, and she nodded. "Fine. But who are you, really?" Either he was an extraordinarily good actor, or he genuinely had no interest in her. If it was the former, she was in danger. If it was the latter, she could relax a little. At least nothing would happen before she saw Alabasta's Poneglyph.

"Ha! I'm just a bartender. That's all." Li Ziming stepped away from Robin. "As for who I am here, that depends on what codename the vice president gives me."

"That depends on your strength." Robin studied him as if she meant to size up every inch of him.

"My strength?" Li Ziming thought for a moment. "How about Mr. 5?"

"You're stronger than that, aren't you?" Robin suddenly caught on. "You're hiding your strength. What are you planning?"

"What am I planning?" Li Ziming shrugged helplessly. "Maybe I just want to see what this world is really like."

Coming to the world of One Piece had left Li Ziming adrift. He had obtained a bar easily enough, and he had once had wonderful dreams for his life, but harsh reality had crushed them. This world no longer bound him in the same ways, yet his dream had died so long ago that even he had forgotten it. But a man was never too old, and a dream never truly died. Li Ziming hated to give up. Now that he had been given this chance, he felt he would waste it if he did not do something wild. He could not remember his old dream, but he believed Luffy might help him find it. Joining the Straw Hat Pirates would also help him when he encountered Zephyr someday.

"That's a rather evasive answer." Robin looked at him helplessly. "I believe you promised me free drinks from now on."

"Of course. My bar will always welcome someone as lovely as you, Robin." Li Ziming smiled. "I'll be going, then." He backed out of the office.

Should I look into what he's after? Robin wavered. Investigating would put her mind at ease, but it might also expose her. She could not decide what to do.

Outside, Li Ziming seemed to have run into another small problem.

"Oh, Miss Wednesday, were you waiting for me? I'm flattered," Li Ziming said with theatrical surprise.

"Who would wait for you?" Vivi retorted instinctively, then caught herself. "I was only waiting for you to take your things off the ship."

"What, are you that upset I spent time alone with Miss All Sunday?" Li Ziming said. "Careful, young lady. With jealousy like that, your future boyfriend's in for a hard time."

"What's it to you?" Vivi snapped. She had never met anyone so shameless. She turned and walked away. Talking to Li Ziming had been a mistake. No, being curious about him in the first place had been the real mistake. She did not want to spend another second with him.

Li Ziming shrugged and followed her.