At first, Xie Wen had been a little puzzled too. With Nico Robin's abilities, hiding under an assumed name would hardly have been difficult. Or, taking a step back, simply disguising herself and adopting a different identity would have been easy enough...
After all, this was a wondrous world where putting on a fake mustache could fool plenty of people.
But Xie Wen soon figured it out. It wasn't that Robin couldn't do these things-she didn't want to.
"...If Robin only wanted to escape the CP Agents and the Navy, she could easily hide on some remote island. Yet all these years, she's chosen to move between major powers, barely even concealing her identity. That means she needs something besides escaping pursuit."
Xie Wen stroked the two cats as he patiently explained things to them.
Of course, Xie Wen knew exactly what that need was, but he couldn't simply say it outright in front of Robin. So he put on a speculative look and said uncertainly, "Maybe she wants to use those powers to take revenge on Cipher Pol and the Navy. Or maybe... she wants to finish what Ohara started. In any case, if we wanted Robin to quietly hide aboard our ship without attracting the World Government's attention, she probably wouldn't agree... am I right?"
"That's right." Robin made no attempt to hide her goal either. "I want to carry on Ohara's will, find every Poneglyph, and decipher them all. That will definitely make the World Government hostile toward me, so I can't stay aboard your ship..."
A resolute yet sorrowful smile appeared on her face. Instead of using her ability, she reached out with her own two arms and stroked Klee and Sanji. "I appreciate your kindness, but I don't want to drag you into this and