Chapter 20: The King of Sweats
At eight o'clock that evening, the groups that had split up reconvened. Under Yumesaki's lead, they headed toward Nico Robin's villa. The lights were on, indicating that she had already returned.
Knock, knock, knock...
Yumesaki knocked a few times. Seconds later, the door swung open, and Robin stood there.
"Yo, you're back," Yumesaki raised a hand in greeting.
Robin's eyes swept over the group. She stepped aside with a smile. "Come in."
Yumesaki, Tsunade, Hashirama, Tobirama, Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and Shizune entered one by one. Robin led them to the living room and gestured toward the furniture. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Yumesaki smiled. "You probably recognize everyone here already, so I don't need to do formal introductions, right?"
Robin nodded. "I am Nico Robin. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
The group returned the greeting. Orochimaru, in particular, fixed his sharp, golden pupils on Robin. It wasn't romantic interest; he simply coveted her body. She was the first Devil Fruit user he had encountered. If he had his way, he'd have her strapped to an operating table right now to study her anatomy in detail.
Robin knew exactly what kind of man Orochimaru was. She said with a light smile, "Please don't look at me with such intensity, Mr. Orochimaru. You'll frighten me."
"My apologies. I've been impolite."
Orochimaru withdrew his gaze. Robin knew Yumesaki and was likely his friend; he wasn't about to offend Yumesaki over a woman. It didn't serve his interests.
Robin continued, "I understand Mr. Orochimaru's curiosity. If you are willing to share your findings with me, I wouldn't mind giving you a small sample of my blood."
She was well aware of his reputation. In the field of human research, he was an absolute pioneer. If he could truly crack the secrets of the Devil Fruit, she wouldn't be stingy with a little blood.
"Is that so?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up instantly. Even if he didn't get the whole body, a blood sample was an excellent start.
Tobirama was intrigued as well, though he stayed silent. As long as Orochimaru got the blood, he could involve himself later without having to ask Robin directly.
Robin gave a small smile and pulled a prepared vial of blood from her clothing, handing it to Orochimaru.
With a soft shuuu sound, Orochimaru's tongue flicked out like a snake, coiling around the vial and pulling it back into his mouth. With a wet gulp, he swallowed the vial whole. It was a slightly revolting sight, but in Orochimaru's mind, his stomach was the safest storage unit.
Robin's expression didn't flicker. She shifted her gaze from Orochimaru back to Yumesaki.
"Mr. Yumesaki, do you remember what I told you when we last parted?"
Yumesaki nodded. "You said you'd have a surprise waiting for me."
"Correct."
Robin crossed her arms over her chest, activating her ability. Dozens of arms sprouted from the floor like blooming flowers, extending all the way to a room on the second floor. A box was lowered, passed along a chain of hundreds of hands until it landed softly in front of Yumesaki.
"This is the surprise I prepared. Open it."
Yumesaki's eyes narrowed slightly as he reached out to open the lid. Inside lay an apple, but its surface was covered in strange, swirling donut-like patterns.
Yumesaki recognized it instantly. It was a Devil Fruit. More specifically, an Artificial Devil Fruit. And the only one Robin would consider a "surprise" was that one.
The Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu (Pink version).
The very fruit Dr. Vegapunk had deemed a failure.
"How did you get your hands on this?" Yumesaki asked, picking up the fruit with curiosity.
This fruit was supposed to be in the second half of the Grand Line—specifically, inside the Punk Hazard laboratory in the New World. Robin was currently in the Kingdom of Alabasta in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line. Unless she could fly, there was no way she could have crossed the Red Line and retrieved this in just a few days.
In response to his question, Robin smiled. "This was the work of the Revolutionary Army."
After parting with Yumesaki last time, Robin had returned to the One Piece world. She had managed to establish contact with the Revolutionary Army and successfully reached their leader, Dragon.
"I know your headquarters is on Baltigo, the Island of White Soil."
Robin's opening sentence had sent a cold shiver down Dragon's spine. Even though the Revolutionary Army viewed Nico Robin as the "Light of the Revolution," they hadn't planned to contact her yet due to the danger she attracted. Instead, she had initiated the call and pinpointed their secret location immediately.
It was terrifying.
Not just for Dragon, but for every high-ranking officer present. Sabo, the Army's No. 2, nearly jumped out of his skin.
Fortunately, Dragon kept his composure. "Ms. Nico Robin... I assume you didn't call just to threaten us."
"Of course not," Robin said calmly. "I'm here to offer a collaboration, Mr. Dragon. Like you, I wish to overthrow the World Government. We are natural allies."
She then briefly explained the matter of the world sinking into the ocean, and how the only way to save humanity was to topple the Celestial Dragons and move everyone to the Red Line.
As Dragon listened, the clothes on his back went from soaked to dry, then soaked again. The cold sweat wouldn't stop. In that moment, he had truly become the "King of Sweats."
"Ms. Nico Robin, this is all just your word. How can I be sure any of this is true?"
Robin smiled thinly. She then began to list the identities, physical descriptions, characteristics, and abilities of every high-ranking officer in the Revolutionary Army, one by one.
Including Dragon's own lineage.
The son of Monkey D. Garp, and the father of Monkey D. Luffy.
She even mentioned Sabo's true identity from before he lost his memory—as the sworn brother of Luffy and Ace. This revelation actually triggered Sabo's memory recovery earlier than in the original timeline, confirming that Robin was telling the truth.
In that moment, Dragon realized that his Revolutionary Army was transparent in Robin's eyes. If this information reached the World Government, it would be a death blow.
"Now, do you still doubt my information?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Dragon laughed awkwardly. In his eyes, Nico Robin had become an utter mystery.
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