“What?!”
Shock appeared in Robin’s eyes.
She knew Daz Bones’s strength quite well, yet in front of this man, he had been defeated so effortlessly!
Lucas acted as though he had merely done something insignificant.
He slowly stood up, straightened his slightly disheveled hair, and gave Robin a faint smile.
“So, Miss Robin, would you come down and discuss joining our pirate crew?”
After witnessing Lucas’s strength, Robin knew that she probably did not even have the opportunity to escape from him.
Ever the intelligent woman, she quickly collected her thoughts, leaped down, and naturally walked over to Lucas.
Looking at Nico Robin, who had once again regained her calm and intelligent demeanor, Lucas felt that this version of Robin was the most beautiful.
She was every bit as stunning as Nami.
His gaze then drifted toward her chest.
Hmm… It seemed she wasn’t any less endowed than Nami.
Noticing Lucas’s gaze, Robin’s face flushed slightly.
She spoke calmly, “By cooperating with Crocodile, I can obtain what I want.
Joining your pirate crew would apparently give me the same thing.
It doesn’t seem like your offer is particularly attractive.”
Lucas smiled faintly.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
He drew his sword and instantly placed it against Robin’s neck.
The sinister aura emanating from him made her delicate body tremble.
“Don’t forget.
You’re in my hands right now.
You don’t have the right to negotiate terms with me.”
Robin stared into Lucas’s eyes, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile.
“Hehehe.
If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already.
You wouldn’t have waited until now, would you?”
“Since you want me to join your pirate crew so badly, there must be something about me that you need.
And what could I possibly possess that would be enough to tempt someone like you?”
Her words left Lucas speechless.
As expected, Robin was far too clever.
Somewhat frustrated, he sheathed his sword and rubbed his forehead, his expression helpless.
He couldn’t exactly tell her that he liked her and wanted her to become his woman.
That would definitely scare Robin away…
And Nami was still right beside him, too.
“All right.
I do have… well, a purpose.”
“You know about the blueprints for Pluton, don’t you?
They’re written in the Ancient Language, and you’ll be needed to decipher them…”
Robin’s heart skipped a beat, and her pupils contracted slightly.
The blueprints for Pluton?
“Hehehehe.”
She quickly regained her composure and let out several soft, charming laughs.
“If that’s the case, then we can discuss the terms, can’t we?”
Hearing this, Lucas took a deep breath and said softly, “All right.
The conditions I can offer are very difficult for you to refuse.
I know that you want to learn the entire history of the world, including the secrets recorded on all the Poneglyphs.
That’s also the reason you agreed to cooperate with Crocodile.”
As he spoke, Lucas raised three fingers.
“Setting aside the Poneglyph here, I know the whereabouts of three others.
How about that?
Is this condition good enough?”
Robin smiled lightly.
Her eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through Lucas’s thoughts.
“Those are merely words.
You haven’t provided any proof.
How am I supposed to believe you?”
“Uh…”
Lucas slapped his forehead.
Although he knew from the original story that there was a Poneglyph in Skypiea, another on Fish-Man Island, and another at the end of the Grand Line on Laugh Tale, he really couldn’t produce any evidence right now.
After thinking for a moment, Lucas became serious.
“Besides, the only Poneglyph you know about right now is the one here.
According to your plan with Crocodile, you’d have to wait at least another three years before you could obtain the information you seek.”
“But I can let you have it now.
And I can also provide you with protection, keeping you safe from the Marines’ pursuit.”
Robin thought about his words for a moment before asking, “What makes you think you can protect me?
You know my identity…”
Lucas waved his hand, cutting her off.
“Strength.
With sufficient strength, I can naturally protect you.”
“I believe everything that happened here has already reached Crocodile’s ears, hasn’t it?
So, if I defeat him, you’ll come with me.”
“Oh?”
A flash of surprise appeared in Robin’s beautiful eyes as she looked at Lucas.
Although she had just witnessed his strength, she still didn’t believe he could defeat Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea who possessed the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit(Suna Suna no Mi).
However, seeing how confident Lucas was…
“All right.
If you can defeat Crocodile, I’ll go with you.”
After saying this, Robin glanced somewhat curiously at Nami, who was watching her warily from the side.
She giggled.
“Looks like your little beauty has some prejudice against me.”
“Uh… Nami.
From now on, she’s your sister—ah, forget it.
She’s a member of the Holy Sword Pirates.”
Lucas himself didn’t know whether he had said that intentionally or unintentionally.
Robin immediately broke into a soft giggle.
How could she possibly fail to see through Lucas’s intentions?
Still, despite having only just met Lucas, this mysterious man who had appeared out of nowhere had aroused an intense curiosity within her.
And curiosity, to a certain extent, could turn into affection.
Robin smiled lightly as she followed behind Lucas.
Little man, if you want to win me over, it won’t be that easy.
…
The group of two had now become three as they headed toward the restricted area of the royal palace—the Burial Hall.
Along the way, they encountered several soldiers, but Robin and Lucas silently dealt with them before they could raise the alarm.
When the Burial Hall was finally within sight, Lucas narrowed his eyes.
He reached out and stopped Nami and Robin, staring at the yellow earth beneath their feet.
“Since you’re already here, why are you still hiding?
Is it really that interesting to let people step all over you underground?”
As he spoke, Lucas abruptly thrust both arms outward and sent Robin and Nami flying to the side.
At the same time, he instantly drew his sword.
A flash of sword light swept across the ground.
Several spears formed from sand had just erupted from beneath their feet, but they instantly shattered.
The next moment, a figure slowly emerged from underground.
His body gradually took shape from sand.
It was none other than Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile!
Crocodile stared intently at Lucas and spoke in a deep voice.
“I really did underestimate you.
You were targeting me from the very beginning, weren’t you?
Tell me what you want.”
“Heh.
You’re giving yourself far too much credit.”
Lucas snorted coldly.
“My original goal was simply to take Robin with me.
But because of our agreement, I have to defeat you first…”
“Arrogant!”
Crocodile roared furiously.
He raised his hand, sending a cloud of dust and sand into the air.
It transformed into a gigantic sand blade that came crashing down toward Lucas.
“Kid, do you really think defeating one of my subordinates means you can defeat me?”
“I’ve killed countless brats like you—newcomers who have just entered the Grand Line and have no idea how vast the world is!”
Lucas gripped his sword with both hands, staring coldly at Crocodile.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you that when you’re fighting…”
“You shouldn’t waste your breath!”
Iai Slash: Breaking the Void!
This was a powerful sword technique that Lucas had only become capable of using after reaching the level of a Sword Master.
As the blade and scabbard violently scraped against each other, tremendous force surged into the sword.
The instant the blade was drawn, Lucas used his Sword Pressure to amplify its power once more.
When he had been out at sea, Lucas had not even dared to use this technique at full strength.
One careless move could have sent his own ship to the bottom of the sea.
But now, he could finally unleash it to his heart’s content!
A silver-white sword arc dozens of meters long swept across the battlefield in a massive crescent.
With overwhelming force, it shattered the gigantic sand blade.
The devastating slash continued forward, bringing down countless surrounding buildings in its wake.
Crocodile was shocked by the sheer power of the sword strike.
Just as he transformed his body into sand, the sword light struck him.
BOOOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion resounded throughout the city, awakening everyone who had been sleeping peacefully in their homes.