"Nico Robin, the Devil Child, the sole survivor of Ohara. Bounty: 79 million. Archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates."
The masked man in front recited Robin's details from memory, filling her with dread.
"Who are you?"
"CP9."
The man said, "But unlike the worthless fool you defeated so easily, we're the real CP9. Surrender. It'll spare you some pain."
Robin said nothing. Certain of victory, the three made no move. Robin struck first. Arms sprouted from all three men's shoulders, poised to snap their necks.
The masked leader flicked his thumb. A finger-thick beam shot out and struck Robin in the stomach.
Pfft!
Blood quickly seeped from the wound.
"I told you to surrender."
The masked man pushed off the ground and used Soru. Before Robin could react, he was behind her.
Gripping Robin's shoulder, he said coldly, "Move again, and I'll cripple both your hands."
Robin stopped struggling. She knew she couldn't beat a single one of them.
The leader said, "Proceed with the plan. Put Nico Robin's arrest in the papers and draw Rubick out."
Nico Robin gave a soft laugh. "With all due respect, if you think you can use me to lure Rubick out, you're dreaming."
Feigning frustration, she said, "He's ambitious. After conquering a Sky Island, he stayed there to be its king. No matter how much we begged, he refused to keep adventuring at sea with us."
"So you've mistaken how much I matter to him. To Rubick, we're all pieces he can discard to achieve his goals."
The CP9 agents fell silent. Robin had a point. Their own analysis had concluded that a man like Rubick, with a billion-berry bounty, must have some secret reason for joining a little pirate crew from the East Blue instead of forming his own.
At first, they