One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

The woman who spoke was none other than Nico Robin, currently the partner of Baroque Works' leader, Crocodile, under the alias Miss All-Sunday.

The hierarchy among Baroque Works agents follows a pattern: the lower the assigned number, the stronger the operative. Crocodile himself holds the title of Mr. 0.

Except for Mr. 2 Bon Clay, every top-ranking agent in Baroque Works has a partner. For example, Mr. 5, who just passed by Takumi's group, is paired with Miss Golden Week.

Based on what Takumi knew about Robin, she should have only joined Baroque Works quite recently. Her cooperation with Crocodile served two purposes: to protect herself temporarily and, more importantly, to find answers about history. Her ultimate goal was to discover the truth behind the Poneglyphs. In the future, she would meet Luffy and join the Straw Hat crew.

"Hmm? That woman... why does she look familiar?" Kaku glanced at Robin, who was sitting on a rooftop, staring at them with a faint smile.

Enel, on the other hand, focused on the bounty poster Robin held. He muttered, dissatisfied, "130 million? Only a 50 million increase?"

"Just be content," Kaku chuckled. "If you want your bounty to increase faster, take down a Marine Admiral or a Yonko. I guarantee your bounty would exceed 2 billion in no time."

Enel fell silent at that.

"Let's go," Takumi said casually, holding a box of liquor as he continued walking. Their purpose in Alabasta was only to resupply; whatever Baroque Works was up to had nothing to do with him, as long as they knew better than to provoke trouble.

Seeing Takumi move on, Enel and Kaku quickly followed without saying anything more.

Robin watched them with her ever-present faint smile.

Just then, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, who had just walked past, suddenly returned, also looking in the direction of Takumi's group.

Miss Valentine smirked and said teasingly, "Hehe, so they're Takumi's crew? Aside from that tall guy, the other two look pretty average."

"You might want to be careful about what you say." Robin's tone was playful. "They can hear you."

"Uh?" Miss Valentine glanced at Robin, then at Takumi's group. But when she saw no reaction from them, she shrugged. "Miss All-Sunday, stop trying to scare me."

Robin smiled, saying nothing more.

As a Shichibukai working with the World Government, Crocodile had been instructed to assist in capturing Takumi's group when they were first issued their bounties. While Crocodile agreed to it on the surface, he was preoccupied with his grand Utopia Plan and had no time to concern himself with Takumi. Therefore, he had instructed his subordinates to avoid unnecessary confrontations, especially with opponents far stronger than them.

Takumi's crew only had three members, but their combined bounty reached over 1.7 billion—an amount not to be taken lightly. Most of the Baroque Works agents were sensible enough to avoid picking a fight.

Still, given that they had spotted Takumi's crew, reporting it to Crocodile was necessary.

Mr. 5 turned to Robin and said, "Since you're here, Miss All-Sunday, why don't you handle informing the boss?"

Robin didn't seem to mind. She smiled faintly, took out a Den Den Mushi, and dialed.

It didn't take long for the line to connect.

A deep male voice came from the receiver. "Miss All-Sunday, is the mission completed?"

Robin smirked. "Yes, it's done."

"Good. Return to Rainbase immediately; I have another task for you."

"Sure, but there's a small issue. I saw Takumi's crew in Erumalu."

"Takumi's crew?" Crocodile paused briefly before continuing, "What are they doing in Alabasta?"

"Not sure," Robin replied, sharing her assumption. "Judging by the supplies they were carrying, it looks like they're just here to stock up."

"Are you the only high-ranking agent in Erumalu right now?"

"Well..." Robin looked at Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, who had heard Crocodile's voice since she had the Den Den Mushi on speaker.

Miss Valentine frantically waved her hand, signaling Robin not to mention their presence.

With a slight smirk, Robin said, "Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine are also here."

The moment she finished, Miss Valentine deflated, her expression filled with dismay.

Robin then added, "Takumi's crew only has three members. While the odds aren't great for us, if it's your command, the three of us will engage them even if we have to risk everything."

"No need," Crocodile responded curtly. "Now isn't the time for a confrontation. Just return for now."

"Alright then." Robin shrugged nonchalantly and ended the call.

Meanwhile, with Takumi's group...

Just as Robin had mentioned, Takumi and his crew did hear Miss Valentine's earlier remark. Luckily, she hadn't said anything offensive, especially about Enel. Takumi and Kaku had no interest in creating unnecessary conflict, which was why they let it slide.

"Hah, it seems some people have good judgment," Enel said smugly as they walked.

Kaku couldn't resist poking fun at him. "So, what you're saying is that you're better than the captain?"

"Uh, no, that's not what I meant..." Enel glanced at Takumi, only relaxing when he saw no reaction from him.

Seeing Enel's cautious demeanor, Kaku burst out laughing. "Look at you, acting all scared."

"Long-nose, say one more word, and I won't go easy on you!"

"Yeah, right. As if you've ever gone easy on me."

"Why, you..."

"Enough," Takumi interrupted impatiently. "Do you guys have to argue every single day? It's annoying."

"It's not my fault," Enel complained, shooting a glare at Kaku. "He's always the one starting it."

Kaku wasn't having it. "There you go again. The captain knows who really starts these things. Don't you think it's childish to keep acting like this?"

Enel: "..."

Takumi had no interest in listening to their bickering any further. He quickened his pace, heading back to where their ship was docked.

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