They walked on into the inner hall, where a little girl was swinging on a Swing. She wore a Gothic-style princess dress, and her long sky-blue hair streamed in the breeze. Her graceful figure rose and fell with the Swing, her skirt fluttering around her.
Now and then, her fair, smooth legs showed beneath her skirt. She looked like an elf, and her silvery laughter drifted through the air, clear and sweet as a spring.
Two men stood on either side of the Swing: King Cobra and Igaram. Both watched her carefully, wearing fond, indulgent smiles. The little girl they treasured so dearly had to be Princess Vivi.
"Quack, quack..."
A cream-colored duck spotted Ye Chen and Robin first. It stretched its neck and began quacking at them, its eyes wide.
Vivi and the two men all turned toward Ye Chen in surprise. Vivi broke into an excited smile, but she forgot she was still on the Swing. Her hands slipped free, and she flew off. Robin could have caught her with her power, but instead she jerked her chin at Ye Chen. Your turn.
Ye Chen gave a wry smile. He would not dare try anything improper in front of Robin. Besides, her little gesture only made him feel awkward.
Even so, he moved without hesitation. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he left a dark blur behind him and caught Vivi securely in his arms.
"Isn't that Nico Robin?"
Cobra recognized Robin at once. He hesitated, plainly at a loss.
"It is!"
Igaram nodded, equally baffled. Nico Robin was known as the Devil Child, a criminal with a bounty of 79 million Beli whom the government had expressly ordered captured. Yet here she was, openly accompanying Ye Chen. Even if Ye Chen was now a Shichibukai, Cobra