Robin took a deep breath. She felt very apprehensive.
The Blond Hair Pirates were different from the other forces she had joined before. This was the place where she had the best hope of staying for the long term.
Not only did they have a favorable impression of Ohara and deeply despise the World Government, but their captain had also personally killed a Celestial Dragon. He was destined never to join forces with the World Government in this lifetime.
"Captain Kazu, I want to join your Blond Hair Pirates."
"I'm a scholar from Ohara. The knowledge in my head will help you in the future."
Robin looked utterly serious, her eyes fixed firmly on Kazu, hoping to hear the answer she wanted from his lips.
Sure enough, Kazu had already guessed this would be the outcome.
Now that he had heard Robin say it herself, he stopped standing on ceremony.
"Hahaha, since you want to join us, there are a few things I should make clear beforehand."
"Once you join the Blond Hair Pirates, we're family."
"I won't spare anyone who backstabs a crewmate, and I won't allow anyone else to hurt my crewmates either."
"Have you thought this through?"
Kazu's words were a warning, but to Robin, they sounded like heavenly music instead.
He won't let anyone hurt his crewmates...
It looks like I really have found the right place. I should be able to trust him with my back.
Robin had wandered from place to place since childhood and met countless people.
She had some ability to tell whether Kazu's expression reflected genuine feelings or a false facade.
It was precisely because he looked sincere that she was so deeply moved.
It looks like my gamble paid off. Coming all this way from the West Blue wasn't for nothing.
Indeed, she had initially decided to come only after seeing the news that Kazu had killed a Celestial Dragon. The enemy of her enemy was her friend. With no room for reconciliation between him and the World Government, she was willing to exchange benefits, trading her own value for protection.
She had never expected Captain Kazu to be so genuine and place such great importance on his companions.
"I've thought it through. I look forward to working with you, Captain Kazu."
Hearing Robin's answer, Kazu happily extended his right hand and said, "Hahaha, welcome, Robin. From now on, you're our archaeologist."
"If we come across anything we don't understand on our journey, we'll leave the research to you."
The position Kazu assigned her was archaeologist, which pleased Robin immensely.
Once her survival was assured, her next goal in life was to find the Poneglyphs scattered around the world, unravel the secrets of the Void Century, and fulfill the cherished wish of Ohara's scholars.
Now that she held the position of archaeologist, if they had the chance to obtain a Poneglyph in the future, she could be the first to read its contents.
In a very good mood, Robin reached out and clasped Kazu's right hand. "I'd be delighted, Captain Kazu. I'm sure I'll be up to the job of archaeologist."
"Yeah, I believe in you."
Kazu gazed at Robin before him, holding her delicate hand in his right and even taking the liberty of rubbing it twice.
That made Robin feel a little awkward.
Throughout all her years of hiding and running, she had always relied on her strength and brains, never her beauty.
She knew that beauty could only secure the most unstable of relationships. The other party could abandon you at any time.
Only strength and intelligence could let you gain a foothold in those dark corners and seek a chance to survive.
Robin, who was not yet twenty, blushed faintly and quickly pulled her right hand free.
Kazu was still savoring the softness of that little hand, unconcerned about whether she might mistake him for a lecher.
Because that was exactly what he was.
Wasn't lusting after her body perfectly normal?
Makino, standing nearby, also noticed Kazu's little gesture and felt that a sister who could share her burden had arrived.
"Hehehe, Robin-chan, we have two other members. One is our navigator, Carlmand, and the other is our sniper, Behrens."
"But those two are out having a wild time in town right now. I'll introduce you when they get back."
"Come on, let's go shopping together first."
With that, Makino took the initiative to take Robin's hand, launching straight into a friendship between women.
Women really were remarkable creatures. Though the two had only just met, after spending half a day together, they were already as close as sisters.
Robin usually liked reading, but she had no shortage of a woman's natural inclinations either.
Few women could turn down shopping.
The three spent half a day browsing the town and bought quite a few daily necessities for Robin.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and thanks to Makino's enthusiasm, Robin had grown familiar with her new surroundings.
"Hey, Makino, is there any of that soup from last time left? Sorry for the trouble, but could you get me a bowl?"
The voice arrived before its owner appeared.
Carlmand and Behrens returned to the ship on unsteady feet. Both urgently needed nourishment.
The Blond Hair Pirates were not short on money, and the nourishing soup Makino had made last time contained plenty of precious medicinal ingredients.
"Hahaha, you two had better watch out, or you'll end up as dried corpses."
Kazu appeared on deck in a flash. He never missed a good opportunity to laugh at his crewmates.
Kazu's taunt left Carlmand grinding his teeth in resentment.
A well-fed man really doesn't know how a hungry man feels. That bastard Kazu has a woman right here on the ship.
He and Behrens could only experience the warmth those young ladies offered whenever they docked.
The rest of the time, they only had their five-fingered girlfriends for company. Miserable did not begin to describe it.
"Tch, stop making snide remarks, Kazu."
"Don't tell me you didn't feel the slightest itch watching us go out and enjoy ourselves?"
Carlmand immediately turned the tables, and his words really did strike a chord with Kazu.
Loving widely was in his nature. Birds of a feather sailed together, and Carlmand had long since seen right through Kazu.
"Oh my, are these two our navigator and sniper?"
Hearing the voices on deck, Robin walked gracefully out of the study.
"K-Kazu..."
"Who is this beautiful lady...?"
Seeing the outrageously beautiful Robin suddenly emerge aboard the ship, Carlmand grew so nervous that he could barely speak properly.
"Hahaha, let me introduce her to you two."
"This is Nico Robin, a scholar from Ohara."
"She's our ship's archaeologist, and from now on, she's our crewmate."
Robin tilted her head with a smile as well. "I look forward to working with you."
"No problem, leave it to me. My name is Carlmand. Whenever there's danger, I'll be sure to stand in front of you, Miss Robin."
Carlmand was the first to make his position known. Beside him, Behrens merely introduced himself, without rushing to say anything more.
"My name is Behrens. We're crewmates from now on."
Seeing that her other two crewmates were also so easy to get along with, Robin felt much more at ease.
"All right, since you two are back, get ready to set sail."
"Destination, Alabasta!"