Early the next morning, in the Flame Emperor's kitchen.
Chopper stood on tiptoe on a stool, carefully weighing medicinal ingredients on a small balance. A brand-new notebook lay open before him, its cover labeled in childish handwriting: "Flame Emperor Pill: improved formula research notes."
"Three grams of datura flower powder... five milliliters of flame grass juice... and a tiny bit of deep-sea coral calcium..." Chopper muttered as he poured the ingredients into a mortar.
"Doctor Chopper, need any help?" Isuka walked into the kitchen carrying a bucket of freshly drawn seawater-Lin Yan had requested it, insisting on the freshest seawater for the experiment.
"Mr. Isuka!" Chopper turned, his blue nose twitching. "Perfect timing! Bring me the 'volcanic ash extract' in that red bottle. Two milliliters!"
Isuka smiled and obliged. He was growing increasingly fond of this little reindeer-though Chopper looked like a child, his medical expertise was enough to put many human doctors to shame.
"Doctor Chopper, can this 'Flame Emperor Pill' of yours really improve combat strength without any side effects?" Isuka asked curiously.
"In theory, yes!" Chopper explained as he ground the ingredients. "The principle the captain gave me is to use gentle flame energy to stimulate cellular activity, allowing the body to unleash its potential briefly without burning through its life force like Energy Steroids do. The key is keeping it 'gentle' and 'controllable'..."
He grew animated as he spoke, but his hands never slowed. Soon, the mixture in the mortar became a thick, crimson paste, giving off a faint herbal fragrance and a trace of searing heat.
"Next comes the 'flame infusion.'" Chopper carefully poured the paste into a specially made metal container. "Mr. Isuka, please take three steps back."
Isuka complied.
Chopper took a deep breath, pressed his hands against the sides of the metal container, and closed his eyes.
Humm!
Faint golden flames flowed from his palms into the container. These were not offensive flames, but the "Flame of Life" Lin Yan had taught him-low in temperature, yet containing a vitality that encouraged growth.
The paste began to change within the flames, its color shifting from crimson to dark gold, its thick consistency becoming a translucent gel. A rich fragrance spread through the air, invigorating anyone who caught even a whiff.
"It worked!" Chopper opened his eyes and jumped in excitement. "The first 'flame infusion' succeeded! It's only a tenth as effective as the captain expected, but it has absolutely no side effects!"
Isuka leaned closer and saw ten dark-gold pills the size of longans lying in the container, each giving off a warm glow.
"So these are Flame Emperor Pills?"
"Yes! The basic version!" Chopper carefully picked one up with tweezers and put it in his mouth-he intended to test the medicine himself.
The pill melted on his tongue, becoming a warm current that spread throughout his body. Chopper felt his muscles swell slightly and his heartbeat quicken. His vision grew clearer, until he could even make out every grain in the cabin's wooden planks.
"Effect: approximately a thirty-percent increase in baseline physical capabilities. Duration... about five minutes." Chopper assessed the changes in his body. "No palpitations, no dizziness, no exhaustion... it worked!"
He spun around the kitchen in excitement, nearly knocking over the spice rack.
"Doctor Chopper! Careful!" Isuka hurriedly steadied him.
"I-I'm just so happy!" Chopper wiped the corners of his eyes. "I can finally help the captain! Not just treat the wounded, but make the crew stronger too!"
Isuka rubbed his hat. "You've always been an important member of the crew."
Just then, Ace shouted from the deck:
"Bro! Someone's here to see you!"
Lin Yan left the captain's quarters and came out onto the deck. Then he saw her-Robin.
Instead of the black, form-fitting outfit she had worn the night before, she wore desert travel clothes that allowed easy movement: beige trousers and a short, dark-brown jacket, her hair tied into a neat ponytail. She carried a canvas bag on her back and a rolled-up drawing in her hand.
"Looks like you've made your choice," Lin Yan said.
"A temporary partnership." Robin unrolled the drawing, revealing a detailed map of Alabasta marked with more than a dozen red dots. "Until I confirm that you're qualified to become the 'host,' I'm only a temporary crewmate. But in the meantime, I'll fulfill my duties as an adviser-for instance, by telling you where all of Crocodile's strongholds are."
It was a clever way to put it, leaving herself a way out while also demonstrating her sincerity.
Lin Yan took the map, glanced over it, then handed it to Ace behind him. "Have Isuka make a few copies. One for everyone."
"Got it!"
Robin watched Ace leave, then glanced at the other crewmates-Isuka poked her head out of the kitchen with Chopper behind her, while Tashigi was wiping down her swords. Everyone looked perfectly at ease, showing no fear or disgust at her identity as the "Devil Child."
This feeling... was unfamiliar.
For twenty years, wherever she went, she was met with either greed-people wanting to trade her for a bounty-fear of being implicated by the World Government, or exploitation by those who wanted her to decipher Poneglyphs. This was the first time she had been welcomed as an "ordinary crewmate."
"Your room is on the second level, third door on the left." Lin Yan's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Next to Tashigi's. If you need anything, ask Chopper or Isuka."
"Thank you." Robin nodded and prepared to settle in.
But Lin Yan stopped her. "Wait. Since you're a temporary crewmate now, there's something I need your help with."
"What?"
"Teach me the basics of reading Ancient Script."
Robin froze. "You want to learn?"
"An extra skill never hurts," Lin Yan said. "Besides, there are some things you can only understand by seeing them for yourself."
His words were subtle, but Robin understood-Lin Yan was expressing his trust: I'm willing to learn about your area of expertise. I'm willing to understand your world.
"...All right." Robin took a notebook from her bag. "This is a 'reference chart of common Ancient Script characters' I compiled. It contains eight hundred basic characters. Read through it first, and ask me about anything you don't understand."
Lin Yan took the notebook and opened it to the first page. The paper had yellowed, but the handwriting was neat and elegant, with detailed annotations and example sentences beside every character.
"Did you write this by hand?"
"Yes. Twenty years of accumulated work."
"Thank you for all that hard work."
It was a simple exchange, yet something softened in Robin's heart. Twenty years... this was the first time someone had said "thank you for all that hard work" to her, rather than "you monster" or "Devil Child."
She turned toward the cabins, her steps a little lighter than when she had arrived.
After lunch, Lin Yan gathered everyone on deck.
"For the next three days, our task is reconnaissance." He pointed to the red dots on the map. "Crocodile has twelve strongholds in Alabasta, three of which are major bases, located in Rainbase, Katorea, and Yuba. Our target is Katorea-that's where Baroque Works has its weapons factory, and where Crocodile stockpiles 'Dance Powder.'"
"Dance Powder?" Tashigi frowned. "That banned powder used to induce rain?"
"Right." Lin Yan nodded. "Crocodile is using Dance Powder to intercept Alabasta's rain, creating drought and stirring up public resentment against King Cobra in preparation for overthrowing the government. The factory in Katorea is the source of all of it."
Flames flared around Ace's fists. "Then let's burn it down!"
"No." Lin Yan shook his head. "Katorea has three thousand workers, most of them civilians forced to work there. Destroying the factory outright would cost them their livelihoods, and Crocodile might even have them silenced."
"Then what do we do?"
"That's why we need to divide up the work." Lin Yan looked around at everyone. "Ace, Isuka, Laina, you three will come with me to Katorea for an infiltration mission-our objective is to sabotage the Dance Powder production line without harming the workers."
"Tashigi, you'll stay aboard the Flame Emperor and keep watch. If the Navy or Baroque Works attacks, use this to notify us-"
He handed Tashigi a crimson shell. It was a modified version of a Flame Dial, a Sky Island specialty. Once infused with flame, it would vibrate at a specific frequency that Lin Yan could sense within fifty kilometers.
"Understood." Tashigi solemnly accepted it.
"Chopper, keep researching the Flame Emperor Pill. Try to have a finished basic version ready before we return."
"Leave it to me!"
"As for Robin..." Lin Yan looked at the woman standing in the corner. "You're coming with me."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"First, you know Baroque Works' internal structure better than anyone. Second, Katorea might hold clues to a Poneglyph-Crocodile wouldn't put all his eggs in one basket."
Robin considered it, then nodded. "All right."
"Then it's settled." Lin Yan put away the map. "We leave in an hour. Ace, prepare the desert travel gear. Isuka, check the weapons. Robin, stay a moment. I want to speak with you alone."
Everyone dispersed.
Only Lin Yan and Robin remained on deck.
"Go on. What's the real reason?" Robin asked directly.
Lin Yan smiled. "I really can't fool you. The real reason is that I need you by my side to make sure Crocodile doesn't make a move against you."
Something shifted in Robin's eyes.
"That Crocodile probably already knows you came to see me," Lin Yan said. "Knowing his personality, his first reaction won't be to kill me, but to kill you-because you betrayed him and took his most important 'key' with you. Leaving you aboard would be too dangerous."
"So you're bringing me along to protect me?"
"To protect each other," Lin Yan corrected. "Your abilities are well suited to reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, while mine are suited to head-on combat. We complement each other."
It was a very pragmatic explanation, but Robin heard something else in it-this man was genuinely considering her safety.
"Also..." Lin Yan took a pendant from inside his clothes-it was the one his mother had left him. "Have you ever seen this design on a Poneglyph?"
Robin looked at the pendant. A sun and flames, with a small "D" in the center.
Her breath caught.
"This is... the 'Dawn Emblem.'" Robin's voice trembled slightly. "The symbol of the D Clan's royal family, recorded in documents from the Void Century. Legend says that whoever possesses this emblem is the successor to the 'Sun God,' qualified to open the Final Gate."
"The Sun God?"
"Yes. Not a deity from mythology, but a title-the leader who led the D Clan against the tyranny of the 'Great Kingdom' during the Void Century was known as 'Sun God Nika.' He possessed the power to make all things laugh and could bring dawn to the world."
Lin Yan tightened his grip on the pendant.
Sun God Nika... the true name of the Gum-Gum Fruit. But in this world, it seemed to hold a deeper meaning.
"Where did you get this pendant?" Robin pressed.
"My mother left it to me," Lin Yan said. "Her name was... I don't know her name. But twenty years ago, she disappeared during the God Valley Incident."
God Valley.
Robin's pupils contracted. She recalled Fisher Tiger's memories in the Tone Dial again-the woman wreathed in golden flames, holding a flag bearing the sun and a D, fighting the Holy Knights.
"Your mother... may have been the last successor to the 'Sun God,'" Robin offered her conjecture. "And Pluton, which Crocodile is searching for, is directly connected to the Sun God-the Poneglyph records that Pluton was the 'Sun God's' vessel, a weapon built specifically to oppose the 'Great Kingdom.'"
The clues fell into place.
Lin Yan finally understood why the system's main quest was [Discover the truth of the D Clan]. This was not merely one family's history, but the truth of a race, a civilization, an era.
"Looks like we really did find the right person." He looked at Robin. "Thank you for telling me all this."
"We're each getting what we need." Robin turned toward the cabins. "I'll go pack. See you in an hour."
After she left, Lin Yan stood alone on deck, gazing toward the distant desert.
The sun hung high overhead, bathing the sea of sand in gold.
And beneath that expanse of gold lay eight hundred years of secrets, and a coming storm.
"Crocodile..." Lin Yan murmured. "You want to use Pluton to become King of the World?"
"Unfortunately, that thing-"
"Was never meant for you in the first place."
Scarlet-gold flames flashed in his eyes and vanished.
Before you continue