Chapter 73 – [73] : [BONUS] – Captive Nico Robin! Robin Grinds Her Teeth!

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Whiskey Peak.

With Observation Haki active, Rowen confirmed that the buildings he had just destroyed didn’t contain any food stores.

All the food and fine wine stocked here were quickly brought out by Igaram. Under Sanji’s culinary magic, it was transformed into a delightful feast.

Sanji also meticulously prepared the Giant Elephant Tuna purchased back in Loguetown.

Rowen, famished after experimenting with his new abilities and further empowered by his recent enhancements, found this meal exceptionally delicious.

Especially the Giant Elephant Tuna—its nose, which he had been eager to try, was particularly unique and tasty. It possessed the tenderness and freshness of fish, yet with an incredibly satisfyingly crisp texture. Sanji’s cooking skills amplified these qualities to perfection.

Meanwhile, Miss Monday, after Mr. 9 explained the situation, learned the true identities of Vivi and Igaram. Having already considered them good friends, Miss Monday, though unable to offer much help, certainly wouldn’t stand in their way.

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“Full! So full! That was delicious!” Luffy patted his stomach contentedly, letting out a happy sigh.

Watching Luffy’s ridiculously bloated belly—like an overinflated balloon—visibly shrink back to normal at an astonishing rate, Igaram and Vivi stared dumbfounded. ‘Is he even human?!’

But… even that couldn’t compare to that man—Igaram wiped cold sweat from his brow as he looked at Rowen, who had consumed even more food than Luffy yet was still eating, his own stomach barely distended.

‘Are all the powerful people on these seas such fearsome eaters?’

“Ah, satisfied,” Rowen finally declared, taking a sip of a special drink Sanji had prepared, a contented smile on his face.

“Sanji’s skills are consistently excellent,” Rowen commented, offering a comprehensive critique covering flavor, texture, and presentation.

Each point precisely hit upon aspects Sanji took particular pride in. This made Sanji, already happy seeing his food thoroughly enjoyed, beam even more broadly. ‘See, Rowen gets it! Unlike those idiots Luffy and Zoro who just stuff their faces! Cooking for Rowen is a pleasure!’

——

—[Modified Exoskeleton equipping progress increased.]—

——

Rowen’s smile widened as well.

“Princess Vivi, with Mr. Rowen and his crew accompanying you, I can finally rest assured,” Igaram said, having briefly stepped away from the feast and now returning.

“Igaram? What are you wearing?” Vivi stared wide-eyed at Igaram’s current attire.

“Pfft-hahaha! Curly-haired uncle! What kind of outfit is that?!” Luffy burst out laughing upon seeing Igaram’s disguise. The others also struggled to stifle their laughter.

“That’s… quite a unique look,” Rowen chuckled.

Igaram had attempted to disguise himself as Vivi, but his burly frame and distinct features made the attempt utterly comical. He was also carrying several dummies.

“My apologies for the spectacle. The Company will surely send more assassins. I intend to act as a decoy for Princess Vivi and all of you, returning to Alabasta this way,” Igaram explained seriously.

“Baroque Works has over two thousand agents that we know of, including high-ranking officers stronger than Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. And Crocodile himself is treacherous. Mr. Rowen, your group is powerful, but please remain vigilant.”

Despite witnessing Rowen’s strength, Igaram knew little about the higher-ranking agents. And they were ultimately facing Crocodile himself—a man infamous for his cunning and deceit, whose schemes had thrown Alabasta into unprecedented chaos.

There was no telling what insidious tricks he might employ. Igaram felt useless, unable even to handle Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.

This decoy plan was the best contribution he could make.

‘If Princess Vivi can return safely to Alabasta and inform His Majesty of Crocodile’s plot… combined with Mr. Rowen’s strength—Alabasta can surely be saved!’ Igaram believed this fervently.

“Two thousand?!” Usopp’s eyes nearly popped out hearing the number.

But then he looked towards Rowen. “Mah! That many people are still no match for me—’Sky Sovereign’s Partner, Usopp the Brave’!” Usopp puffed out his chest proudly. Only after his initial panic did Usopp remember that mere numbers meant nothing against Rowen’s Conqueror’s Haki.

“You really have a way of phrasing ‘relying on Rowen’s Haki’, don’t you?” Zoro deadpanned, seeing right through Usopp’s bravado.

“Next time, I could refrain from using Haki, let you get some more ‘training’,” Rowen added, smiling mischievously at Usopp.

“Eek!”

Usopp’s expression instantly froze, cold sweat pouring down his face. “N-No! Please don’t, Rowen!” Usopp cried, tears welling up. ‘Over 2000 people! Without Rowen’s Haki, they’d tear me apart!’

“Hahaha!” Seeing Usopp’s comical terror, the others burst into laughter, even Vivi and Igaram couldn’t help but smile.

The tense atmosphere immediately eased.

Usopp, seeing this, allowed himself a barely perceptible smile. (Which, naturally, didn’t escape Rowen’s Observation Haki, making Rowen smile too. Usopp’s keen ability to read the mood and emotions of others was likely one reason why his own Observation Haki, once awakened, was so potent.)

“Princess Vivi, the Eternal Pose for Alabasta,” Igaram said, holding out the device to Vivi.

“…” Vivi bit her lip, knowing the danger Igaram faced undertaking this decoy mission alone.

But seeing the resolve in his eyes, Vivi knew denying him would cause him more pain than death itself. They were both people willing to sacrifice everything for Alabasta.

“Be careful, Igaram,” Vivi whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she handed the Eternal Pose to the man who had been like an uncle to her since childhood, the man who had unhesitatingly accompanied her on this perilous infiltration mission into Baroque Works.

“So that’s an Eternal Pose,” Nami commented, looking at the compass with its fixed needle.

Thanks to Rowen, Nami already knew about these devices.

Unlike Log Poses, which recorded the magnetic fields of islands sequentially to navigate the Grand Line towards the final island, Eternal Poses were locked onto the magnetic signature of a single, specific island, never changing.

“Well then, Mr. Rowen, I entrust Princess Vivi to your care!” Igaram declared, bowing deeply to Rowen.

“Leave her to me. At the very least—I won’t let her wear that expression again,” Rowen replied with a powerful, confident smile.

Vivi bit her lip again, remembering Rowen’s words back at Twin Capes.

Nami’s eyes also shone with emotion. She knew Rowen’s words were meant for her too.

“I can never repay you. When you reach Alabasta, please allow my wife to cook for you,” Igaram said, his own eyes reddening as he looked at Vivi one last time.

“I look forward to it,” Rowen smiled.

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Igaram boarded a small ship laden with dummies and slowly sailed away.

Vivi watched him go, her heart filled with worry.

Nami, seeing Vivi’s expression, saw a reflection of her former self. She placed a comforting hand on Vivi’s shoulder silently.

“Don’t worry too much. Even if they send assassins, they won’t arrive that quickly,” Usopp commented, trying to lighten the mood.

The next second—

BOOOOM!

An explosion erupted, engulfing Igaram’s ship in flames instantly.

“!!!” Usopp stared, mouth agape, cold sweat drenching his forehead. ‘My jinxing mouth! It couldn’t be that effective, could it?!’ Usopp desperately wanted to slap himself.

“IGARAM!” Vivi screamed, her eyes instantly turning red.

“Don’t worry. He’s alright,” Rowen stated calmly, placing a reassuring hand on Vivi’s shoulder.

Vivi turned, seeing the steady confidence in Rowen’s expression, and inexplicably felt her panic subside significantly.

“Wait here,” Rowen instructed. He activated his Kilo-Kilo Fruit, then launched himself towards the sea with a burst of smoke propulsion.

The sea was vast; Rowen’s current Observation Haki couldn’t cover the entire area.

But the moment Igaram set sail, Rowen had kept his Haki focused on Igaram’s ship. The instant the explosion occurred—Rowen locked onto the perpetrator’s presence.

WHOOSH! With a roar of smoke, Rowen vanished.

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A short while later, Rowen reappeared.

Held captive in his smoke constructs was a tall, beautiful woman with a shocked expression on her face.

“Miss All Sunday!” Seeing the captured woman, Vivi’s eyes turned red with fury and recognition.

“Miss All Sunday? Whose partner is she?” Nami asked curiously, looking at the beautiful woman. Through Vivi’s explanations, Nami and the others now understood Baroque Works’ structure: Mr-prefixed codenames for high-ranking male agents, Miss-prefixed for their female partners.

“She’s Crocodile’s partner! We only found out Crocodile’s identity by tracking her!” Vivi spat, grinding her teeth. ‘So, she was the one who attacked Igaram!’

“Crocodile’s partner!” Hearing this, Usopp stared intently at the woman.

“I deliberately let you track me. Otherwise, how would you have discovered that secret?” the woman replied, her initial shock fading, replaced by a calm, mature smile, seemingly unfazed despite being captured by Rowen’s smoke.

“I didn’t expect the legendary Sky Sovereign Rowen to also be a Logia Devil Fruit user. Such power—truly lives up to the reputation,” the woman commented, looking calmly at Rowen.

“Still composed even while captured, You live up to your reputation too—’Devil Child’ Nico Robin, bounty 79 million Beri,” Rowen replied evenly, looking back at Robin.

“79 million?!”

Hearing the bounty, the others gasped in shock. This beautiful, mature woman, possessed such an astonishingly high bounty? But seeing someone with that level of bounty still utterly helpless before Rowen reassured Nami and the others somewhat.

“I didn’t expect the legendary Sky Sovereign to have heard of my name as well,” Robin replied, her expression flickering almost imperceptibly at the mention of her epithet.

“You’re quite famous. The sole survivor of the Ohara Incident,” Rowen stated, looking directly into Robin’s eyes.

This time, Robin’s composure finally cracked. Her expression changed dramatically.

“Ohara Incident?” Nami and the others looked curious.

“An island of historians—annihilated by a Marine Buster Call because they researched the forbidden ‘Void Century’. She is the only known survivor of that event,” Rowen explained.

His words made Robin’s expression shift again and again. Hearing ‘Buster Call’, her entire body began to tremble.

The events of that day remained a deep childhood trauma. Even now, mature and composed as Robin was, mentioning it brought back the terrified eight-year-old girl within her.

“You joined Crocodile’s side for the Poneglyphs, didn’t you? Alabasta possesses one—a Poneglyph detailing the location of one of the three Ancient Weapons, Pluton. That’s why Crocodile came to Alabasta in the first place,” Rowen continued, looking intently at Robin.

“I-I didn’t expect you know all our secrets,” Robin stammered, biting her lip as she stared at Rowen.

“Since I’ve fallen into your hands—just kill me!” Hearing ‘Buster Call’ and ‘Ohara Incident’ again, Robin seemed to regress into a self-destructive state, glaring defiantly at Rowen.

“Kill you? Then how would we find the One Piece?” Rowen asked calmly.

His words made Robin freeze, bewildered.

“What?! This woman can lead us to the One Piece?!” Luffy immediately brightened, instantly trusting Rowen’s words completely.

“The Poneglyphs are divided into historical texts and the most special kind—the four red Road Poneglyphs. Only by gathering all four Road Poneglyphs can one determine the location of the final island, Laugh Tale. Therefore, to find the One Piece, one absolutely needs a historian capable of reading the ancient script,” Rowen explained, looking pointedly at Robin.

“But—she killed that curly-haired uncle!” Luffy protested, though wanting to find the One Piece, his loyalty to friends always came first.

“Relax. She didn’t kill Igaram. On the contrary, she saved him. That explosion completely obscured Igaram’s escape route, allowing him to return safely to Alabasta,” Rowen explained with a faint smile.

“Oh! So you’re a good person! Then join us!” Luffy instantly beamed, completely changing his tune. Vivi also breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why should I join you?” Robin retorted, still caught in the shadow of the Buster Call, glaring defiantly at Rowen.

“Only by gathering the four Road Poneglyphs can one reach the final island. Along the way, one will surely find other historical Poneglyphs—The treasure the Pirate King left there… he claimed he left ‘everything’ in that place,”

Rowen replied, smiling knowingly at the rebellious Robin before him. ‘This defiant look—suits her even better than the mature composure.’

“ONE PIECE?!” Robin instantly understood the implication, her eyes widening sharply.

“That’s right! Everything—is on the final island! So? Will you come with us, Nico Robin? Staying with a failure like Crocodile, who pins his hopes on an Ancient Weapon like Pluton, you’ll never find the true history you seek. Only by following us can you achieve your dream! Your dream can only be realized by reaching the final island! The sea is vast, after all!” Rowen declared, spreading his arms wide, laughing powerfully, radiating charisma.

Nami and Vivi watched, their eyes shining brightly.

“The sea is vast?” Robin murmured, looking at Rowen, her expression turning distant, She recalled Saul’s words from long ago.

Robin looked at Rowen, her lips parting slightly, about to say something.

But before Robin could speak, Rowen’s next words made her instantly furious.

“Besides, it’s not like you have much choice. Right now—you’re my captive,” Rowen finished, looking at Robin with his ‘intimidating villain’ expression.

“…” Robin, whose emotions had just started to soften, instantly grit her teeth, glaring murderously at Rowen.

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