The first people to emerge from Rain Dinners were not ordinary agents.
The crowd parted instinctively as two figures stepped through the casino’s front doors.
Mr.
1 — Daz Bonez.
And beside him—
Miss All Sunday.
Nico Robin.
The moment Robin laid eyes on the Ark Maxim, her usual composure faltered.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Even Daz Bonez stopped walking.
“…That’s a ship.”
His voice carried a rare note of disbelief.
His eyes swept across the massive golden hull, lingering on the intricate structure, the polished metal, the impossible scale of it.
Then he looked up.
The vessel had clearly descended from the sky.
“…A flying ship.”
For a moment, even the normally stoic assassin struggled to process what he was seeing.
A ship made almost entirely of gold.
A ship large enough to dwarf nearby buildings.
A ship that had fallen out of the heavens.
Nothing about it made sense.
Around them, Baroque Works agents whispered nervously.
No one had ever heard of such a thing.
As the dust gradually settled, two figures became visible on the edge of the vessel.
One stood casually with his hands in his pockets.
Relaxed.
Unhurried.
The other carried himself like a veteran warrior, alert and ready.
Robin studied them carefully.
Something immediately felt wrong.
Neither man appeared concerned.
Not by the agents.
Not by Rain Dinners.
Not by the fact that they had landed in the heart of Baroque Works territory.
They looked completely at ease.
As though they had arrived exactly where they intended to be.
Then the taller man smiled.
And looked directly at her.
“Found you.”
Robin’s eyes narrowed.
There was no surprise in his expression.
No uncertainty.
Only recognition.
As if he had come here specifically for her.
A troubling thought.
A very troubling thought.
Moments later, both men leapt from the Ark Maxim.
They landed lightly on the sand below.
Around them, agents immediately stiffened.
Hands drifted toward weapons.
Rifles were raised.
Tension spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Daz Bonez stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
His voice was cold.
“And do you have any idea whose territory you’re standing in?”
The stranger didn’t even look at him.
Not once.
His attention remained fixed on Robin.
“Nico Robin.”
The name landed like a stone dropped into still water.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“I’d like to talk.”
Robin’s gaze sharpened instantly.
Not Miss All Sunday.
Not her codename.
Not the identity she used inside Baroque Works.
Her real name.
Very few people knew it.
Fewer still could connect it to her current whereabouts.
Possibilities flashed through her mind.
Marine Intelligence.
Cipher Pol.
Bounty hunters.
Government agents.
None of the answers were encouraging.
The man continued as if he hadn’t just shattered her expectations.
Robin didn’t answer immediately.
Beside her, Daz Bonez’s expression darkened.
He wasn’t stupid.
He knew Robin’s position inside the organization was complicated.
If she showed even the slightest sign of betrayal, Crocodile would deal with it personally.
And if necessary—
So would he.
A metallic scraping sound echoed through the street.
SHING!
Both of Daz Bonez’s forearms transformed into gleaming steel blades.
The power of the Supa Supa no Mi.
The Dice-Dice Fruit.
Robin glanced sideways.
A faint crease appeared between her brows.
Then she returned her attention to Rowan.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.”
The stranger smiled.
“We have now.”
Daz Bonez moved.
BOOM!
The street cracked beneath his feet.
He launched forward like a cannonball.
Blade-arms angled toward Rowan’s throat.
Fast.
Precise.
Lethal.
The attack would have killed most opponents before they even registered the movement.
Rowan didn’t react.
Didn’t dodge.
Didn’t blink.
His expression remained completely unchanged.
To him, Daz Bonez looked almost slow.
“Wiper.”
That was all he said.
Wiper grinned.
“Got it, Captain.”
The next moment—
BOOM!
A blur shot forward.
Daz Bonez barely had time to register it.
A fist crashed into his abdomen.
WHAM!
The impact folded his body around the strike.
Air exploded from his lungs.
His charge stopped instantly.
For a brief second, his feet actually left the ground.
Then he was launched backward.
BANG!
He skidded across the street, carving a trench through the sand before finally driving his blade-arms into the ground to stop himself.
The world spun.
A metallic taste filled his mouth.
Blood rose into his throat.
He forced it back down.
His eyes locked onto Wiper.
Strong.
Far stronger than expected.
Daz Bonez slowly straightened.
“So you’re the first mate.”
Wiper rolled his shoulders.
A predatory grin spread across his face.
“Something like that.”
His eyes sharpened.
“But if you want to attack my captain…”
He cracked his neck.
“You’ll have to get through me first.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Even the surrounding agents felt it.
Several instinctively stepped backward.
Robin watched in silence.
This was no ordinary confrontation.
These people were dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Then—
Both men vanished.
BOOM!
The battle erupted.
Steel flashed through the air.
A blade carved across the street, slicing deep grooves into the ground.
Daz Bonez pivoted immediately.
Another slash.
Another miss.
A blur appeared behind him.
BAM!
A fist slammed into his ribs.
Before he could retaliate—
Another strike landed.
Then another.
Then another.
Wiper moved like a phantom.
The Bronthe Leopard Fruit enhanced his already impressive physical abilities.
The Swift-Swift Fruit multiplied that advantage to absurd levels.
Together, they created something terrifying.
A predator built entirely around speed.
Daz Bonez attacked.
Missed.
Turned.
Missed again.
Every time he thought he had found an opening, Wiper was already somewhere else.
Afterimages appeared across the battlefield.
One.
Three.
Five.
A dozen.
Blurry silhouettes surrounded him from every direction.
Like a pack of hunters closing in on wounded prey.
For the first time in years, Daz Bonez felt genuinely pressured.
Robin’s eyes widened slightly.
She prided herself on observation.
On reading situations.
On seeing details others missed.
Even she struggled to follow Wiper’s movements.
That alone spoke volumes.
Daz Bonez’s attacks were powerful.
His offense was lethal.
His defense was exceptional.
Against most opponents, he was a nightmare.
Against Wiper?
None of it mattered.
A weapon was useless if it couldn’t hit its target.
The battle quickly became one-sided.
Daz Bonez defended.
Wiper attacked.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The difference between them became harder to ignore with each passing second.
The truth was, Wiper could have ended it already.
One burst of Armament Haki.
One serious exchange.
That would likely be enough.
But this was his first true battle in the Blue Sea.
And he was enjoying it.
Testing himself.
Learning.
Experiencing opponents beyond Skypiea.
So he held back.
Just enough to keep the fight going.
Around them, Baroque Works agents watched in growing horror.
“Mr.
1 can’t keep up!”
“Who the hell are these people?!”
“That monster isn’t even the captain!”
The realization sent a chill through the crowd.
If someone this strong was merely a subordinate…
Then what kind of monster commanded him?
Robin’s gaze slowly shifted back to Rowan.
The mystery surrounding him only deepened.
He knew her real identity.
He possessed an impossible flying ship.
His subordinate was overwhelming Mr.
1.
And through it all, he remained completely calm.
Watching.
Waiting.
As though every piece on the board was moving exactly where he expected.
For the first time in a very long while—
Nico Robin found herself genuinely intrigued.