Chapter 27: Nico Robin

"Fire! Hurry and fire! Damn it, if you miss again, I'll throw you overboard to feed the Sea Kings!"

Captain Smith Hamm of the Longbeard Pirates roared furiously. He had a head of messy black hair, but his long beard was neatly groomed. As a pirate who idolized Whitebeard Edward Newgate, he wanted to instill fear in everyone just like his hero.

The merchant ship on the opposite side was certainly terrified, but instead of surrendering as expected, it turned and fled immediately.

"Even if you surrendered, I wouldn't have let you off. But since you're running, you're all going to the bottom of the sea to feed the Sea Kings!"

Several gunners were drenched in sweat. Their captain was ruthless and unforgiving, and if they missed again, they knew they would be thrown overboard for sure.

Another cannonball was fired. The gunners watched in anticipation as it traced a beautiful arc through the air, flying straight towards the merchant ship.

They held their breath, hoping in their hearts, Hit it! Hit it! Please hit it!

"We hit it! We actually hit it! Hahaha, Captain, we did it!"

"Call me Captain Longbeard! Alright, boys, get the ship alongside!"

The cannonball they were so hopeful for had hit and broken one of the masts of the merchant ship, reducing its speed by half. Soon, it would be caught.

While the pirates were brimming with morale, the atmosphere on the merchant ship was gloomy.

"What are we going to do, Captain Jess? That's Longbeard out there!"

"We're doomed! We're going to die…"

"Longbeard is the most ruthless. He kills everyone and throws them into the sea to feed the Sea Kings."

"It's all your fault, Robin! It was your idea to run. Maybe if we hadn't tried to escape, Longbeard would've just taken the loot!"

"Robin, you've killed us all!"

"Robin, you're just the accountant. Who gave you the right to give orders!"

"..."

Fifteen-year-old Nico Robin's face was pale, and she lowered her head as if about to cry. She had been working under the alias Robin on this merchant ship for less than a month. Initially, she had gotten along well with everyone, but now… Was hoping for mercy from the pirates really the right choice?

Captain Jess wanted to speak but stopped. He had agreed with Robin, as had everyone else who was now blaming her. They hadn't wanted to leave their fate in the hands of pirates either. When they were close to escaping earlier, everyone had praised Robin's decision. But now…

He knew that even if he tried to defend Robin, it wouldn't quell the group's anger in the face of death. If he openly took Robin's side, he'd only become the target of their hatred, especially since it was him, the captain, who had made the final decision, not Robin.

Forget it, since we're all about to die anyway, let them vent their frustrations on Robin. If I had a next life, I'd never leave dry land again. To hell with this idea of the sea being a man's romance!

As the pirate ship closed in on the merchant vessel, Leo shouted, "Captain! Hurry up! They've already boarded!"

"Right, right!"

Bardock clumsily adjusted the sails.

The truth was, Bardock had miscalculated. He had estimated their speed based on two fixed points and assumed that as a novice, he could still make it before the pirates boarded. But the ship was moving, and what was once a stationary target had become a moving one. Now he had to constantly adjust the sails, and due to his inexperience, he had gone way off course. No matter how hard he pushed, he was still about 50 meters behind.

Realizing he wouldn't make it in time, Bardock prepared to use a backup plan. However, in the next second, he stopped, calmed Leo, and watched the situation unfold. It seemed the merchant ship had surrendered—far too quickly.

Longbeard leaped aboard the merchant ship, wielding a large iron hammer, followed by a horde of vicious pirates.

"You miserable lot made me go through all this trouble. Tell me, how do you want to die?"

With a swing of his hammer, he smashed down the remaining mast.

The merchants were already scared out of their wits, and upon witnessing this scene, more than half of them collapsed to their knees, crying and begging for their lives.

"Captain Longbeard, I'm a navigator, please don't kill me!"

"I'm a chef! I cook amazing food! Please, Captain, let me live!"

"I… I… Longbeard, it's her! She's the one who bewitched us!"

"Yes, yes! She's a witch! I once saw her grow multiple hands. It was terrifying!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier? We should've burned the witch!"

"I… I thought I was just seeing things!"

"Robin, if you have any decency, take responsibility for this!"

Nico Robin felt her eyes sting. She had initially planned to use her Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit) powers to ambush and kill Longbeard the moment the pirates boarded, then lead a desperate counterattack. If everyone worked together, there was still hope for victory. But now, she wondered if it wouldn't be better to just die.

No, I can't die. Ohara, Saul, they need me alive. No matter what, I have to survive.

She started thinking about whether the Longbeard Pirates would accept her, given her status as a Devil Fruit user. If worst came to worst, she would have to fight with all her strength.

"You're called Robin… multiple hands… you're the Devil Child, Nico Robin! Hahaha! A bounty of 79 million Berries! I'm going to be rich!"

"What?! The Devil Child?"

"A bounty of 79 million?!"

The merchants trembled in fear.

Damn it, Robin thought, crossing her arms over her chest, ready to act.

"Grab her!"

Longbeard, still somewhat wary of a Devil Fruit user, ordered his lackeys to make the first move.

"Ohhh…!"

The pirates surged forward, and Robin was quickly overwhelmed. Over the years, she had been constantly on the run, unable to settle down, and could only develop her abilities in spare moments. Right now, her powers could only deal with a few people at a time. Was this the end of the road? Would she even be able to escape after being captured?

By this time, Bardock had stealthily sailed his ship right beneath the merchant vessel. None of the people on board had noticed. He signaled Leo to be patient, then carefully listened to the conversations above. When he heard the name Nico Robin, a spark lit up in his mind. Here was a talented individual being delivered right to him. He desperately needed someone to educate his two kids, and Nico Robin, a genius archaeologist at the age of eight, was perfect. Robin's intelligence-gathering and analysis skills made her an excellent external strategist. Her ability to read the Poneglyphs, however, wasn't of much use to Bardock.

Though these merchant ship passengers were despicable, they sure were lucky today.

Bardock unleashed a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki, instantly knocking out both the pirate lackeys and the merchant crew. Longbeard and Robin managed to stay conscious, though both were left dazed and disoriented.

Unfortunately, Bardock wasn't yet skilled enough to control his Haki and differentiate between enemies and allies.

He leaped onto the ship, seeing that Longbeard was still standing, and promptly knocked him out with a hand chop to the neck. Longbeard finally collapsed, unmoving.

Robin saw this before finally losing consciousness herself.